Methods of maintaining civil discussion

Well, I think there really only needs to be one rule.

1. Never forget that the people you are posting with are real people. Always imagine you are talking to them face to face, and be as considerate to them as you are to people in real life.

if you dont like a post, skip it, instead of posting some foolish, unnecessary asshat comment...

15> don't disagree with jauani wu or korg stygian.

Put everyone on 'mute' and/or 'ignore'!!

Where is the fun in that?

Excellent, almost says it all right there ladies and gentlemen

Not only for maintaining civillity but also to help you understand the opposing view point:

Try stepping away for a few minutes.

Now sit down by yourself and argue the other persons view, put thier shoes on and walk a mile. Argue it as if your the champion of thier cause.

Sure you still probably won't agree but I bet you'll be shocked at the clarity and understanding you will now have, keeping an openmind of course.

This may also actually help you to "win", or whatever, said debate

#2 Read "The Art of War"

Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs.

roflmao

I was going along the lines of "know thy enemy"

And before we get it twisted, may be too late though , read "The Art of War" more-or-less as philosophical reference. Though born of war time to serve a purpose for victory of one's enemies, these precepts can be directly translated to meet most "conflicts" that one may encounter.

Nice there, young gwathhoppa

yes. when posts upset me to the point of wanting to strike back with reckless abandon, i browse away for a while and come back to it later. it works for me so i was offering it as a constructive suggestion.

this is about nine-billionth time an sler has accussed me of being flippant and rude. the last time i was just trying to congradulate someone. i'm beginning to think i don't fit in very well here anymore. think i'll go do something else for a while.

eh hem?!

Well do the defense of one Khamon Fate.

Maybe not "tonally" sound, but I believe the man was actually giving sound advice.

Short and sweet, and yes can be very effective. Taking a break, stepping back is always good advice, given the time to do so.

Don't know this person either, maybe bad blood I don't know about, but benificial advice given to help one "Maintain civil discussion"

Icon I hope you are taking notes , not a dig, but please be objective and openminded when reading others post, maybe not as articulate as one would like but I believe Khamon actually contributed to this convo.

Yo K, don't give up so easy, read back a few and see if there's any good advice you can pick up and utilize

Long live civility!!!!

Love, Peace, and Hairgrease!

You fit in fine, Khamon. And it was clear to me what you were trying to say -- so let's say that Icon's post was a dramatic illustration of how much care we (me, too) have to exercise to listen and communicate well.

Stick around.


edited to add: Nothing personal about Icon is intended.

Ok... foot in mouth scenario it seems. Let's not add insult to injury -- I just wanted to know wether you were intending a true statement.

Yes I felt it was a tripe rhetorical statement, but I didn't intend to outright blame Khamon and asked for his intent. So I didn't outright assume anything...

so really, Khamon -- you have my apologies if you want them.

"Walk softly, and carry a big gun."

Couldn't resist.

A: Fuck you!

^ Maybe I just smoke too much, but I really missed this one

Please tell me there is some underlying motive, that no one knows about, behind this one!!!

I ain't no goody two shoes but I missed the boat on this one

But I do appreciate a good "Fuck you" now and then! Just like that crack in the dome to remind you what ma and pa taughtcha as a youngin'

thank you jonny, donovan and icon. here's a suggestion i should pay more attention to myself:

give people the benefit of the doubt. assume that they're trying to be helpful or are genuinely curious, not that they're digging or ridiculing with their statement or question respectively.

that's a bit convoluted but it works both ways. too often, i think, we read negative intentions into a person responses and questions and react accordingly even after we've taken time to consider. it's a hard habit to break, especially when paths have crossed before.

btw, i do tend to be terse. i had to resumit a lot of work in graduate school because it was "too short." the fact that it said all it needed to say was entirely beside the point. i'd pad the assignments with loads of rhetorical, subject-related verbiage without adding one iota of useful information and receive passing marks. go figure.

And thank you for accepting my apology.

This is spot on the mark... upon reflection I could've left out my first paragraph and simply asked for clarification -- sometimes we read too far into things and that is what happened there. Though I kept assumptions out of it, I could've been less trite myself had I been wary of this bit of advice myself.

Thanks Khamon!

... and to keep things going --

Keep the discussion in the thread to the context of the thread! Not only to keep from hijacking, but also as consideration to the orginal poster. Inappropriate and offensive material unsuitable should be removed by the moderators.

Have a sense of humor and tolerance for those who attempt to lessen tension with jokes. Disclaimer: within reason.

Always argue..err..discuss differences in opinion when naked.

It helps..honest!

Trust me on this..