Joesitz said:
Given the recent comments on a thread about Sasha, so many other topics appeared. There are probably more than I list here but I believe they (and others) need to be ironed out. I would have preferred to have saved the following topics for the Summer Doldrums but I think they should be addressed now and by the Members:
Is a strong opinion tantamount to bashing?
Is illness an excuse for poor performance?
Are assumptions wrong to bring out in a post?
What makes an added topic related to a main topic?
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It would be most appreciated if you can reply to the above questions without recourse to provoking tempers to rise
Joe
Thanks for asking these questions Joe.
Is a strong opinion tantamount to bashing?
While I think it's true that one person's bash is another's strong opinion, I also think that on a general forum like GS, there has to be a line drawn that reflects the majority of GSer's feelings. What may be fine on another board may not be what most GSers want and I think posts like these are a good way of ascertaining what most GSers think. For me, I'm all for strong opinions on any issue as long as skaters or posters are not personally attacked. Recently a skater was called a "liar" and the poster went on to write, "as a person I find you hateful." The post went on an on in this same vein. A number of people, even those who said they were not a fan of the skater expressed their outrage at this post. I think the question we have to ask ourselves, meaning GS as a forum, is do we want to let posts like that stand and leave it up to forum members to tell that poster what they think? Or should the policy be that posters PM the person they felt was bashing and ask that it be toned down? Or do we want to be able to complain directly to the moderators about such posts?
I see pros and cons to all three approaches: With approach 1 and 2, if posters critisize a poster for bashing or PM him/her and ask that the bashing be toned down or deleted, the "basher" may attack the poster(s), or the posters may hesitate to say something for fear of being attacked. With approach 3, I think the mods have done an excellent job of telling a poster when s/he is out of line, but they can't catch everything.
I'm leaning toward letting the mods know if you think someone is bashing a skater to the point where you think the post should be deleted, but ONLY if it's really WAY out of line. I believe the "Sasha is hateful and a liar" post on the "Disappointed for Sasha" thread is an example of a post that should be deleted. Deleting, IMO, is not to change the fact that people have already seen it; it's the mods sending a message to the person who wrote it (after the person has been given a chance to change or delete is him/herself) that such attacks are crossing the line on GS and also letting other posters know where that line is.
I agree with others that severely attacking a skater or poster's character in a way that is "beyond the pale" so to speak, using clear attack language is bashing. I think it should be deleted or changed by the person who wrote it if three posters or more complain or ask the person, respectfully, to do so. If the person does not respond, I think the mods should be notified. Obviously the mods will decide on how to handle it from there.
Bottomline, I think most of the time GS does a great job of keeping respect for each other. However, sometimes certain posters (love the "nose bleed tickets" analogy, BronzeisGolden) come along to bash skaters or posters, or else badger posters by constantly picking apart every word of every post. I think what we want to avoid is having posters feel that they don't want to post for fear of being bashed or badgered. Whichever approach makes people feel they don't want to post or that GS does not allow free expression of opinion within the guidelines hurts everyone at GS and the forum in general, IMO. There are plenty of forums around where bashing is not only tolerated but welcome. As others have said, they would like for GS to be a haven from that and I couldn't agree more. I'm no angel--duh!--and have lost my temper at times, but I have always tried to make amends.
Is illness an excuse for poor performance?
I think it's a matter of whether the skater consistently uses injury, illness, or "something" as an excuse or if it's a one-time or rare occurrence. I also think it depends on how the skater relates the information. If it's at a press conference after a loss with no medical substantiation, then I can see people being suspicious. If a doctor verifies the situation (ie, Yags, Tim, Tara, just three examples), I see no basis for dissing the skater. If it's made in a journal that is intended for the skater's fans, I can see nonfans being skeptical, but I think skepticism is one thing, proclaiming the skater is lying is quite another. Bottom line: Depends on the situation.
Are assumptions wrong to bring out in a post?
Agree with others who say as long as the poster makes it clear that these are assumptions, and that they don't try to state assumptions as if they were facts.
What makes an added topic related to a main topic?
I think if something takes a facet of the main topic and adds more factual information to it, which people may then voice their opinions on, it's fine--as long as some part of the initial topic remains in the thread every so often as it moves along. I think the "Disappointed for Sasha" thread is a good example of one that would have benefitted from starting a separate thread on the shingles issue.
Rgirl
PS: Joe, your mailbox is full.
Many people on these boards are adults, why can't some people act with the sence their parents tought them. Namely if you absolutly nothing but negative things to say don't say them all. Bashing really brings down the quaility of discoure on GS. But remember other posters can be bashed just like skaters can be. Let's not bash each other!!
