misunderstood

[clive francis]

For some reason or another there seems to be a lot of bad feeling on here with some people recently.

Several posts have appeared saying people are leaving, and many a thread has been closed or pulled all together.

For the whole I feel that everyone gets on well together (despite our geographical and cultural differences) and many things are debated well, but where things go off on a tangent or get nasty, I believe it is mostly down to people misunderstanding or taking out of context one part of a post and ignoring the rest which balances the post.

so come on guys lets engage the brain (just that fraction of a second) before the fingers as we are loosing some good threads due to some silly posts.

we should be pulling together at the moment no pissing each other off!

 

[Cave Diver]

clive francis once bubbled...
we should be pulling together at the moment no pissing each other off!

Well said!

There have been a few people that have mentioned not participating on certain forums because of the grief they are being given based on where they live and the current world situation.

We should all try to keep in mind that just because someone lives in a country, that doesn't necessarily make them responsible for the actions of their country as a whole.

Regardless of how I might personally feel about the leaders of my country, I am still proud to be a part of it and live here, and we should all respect the rights of others to feel that same pride for their country, regardless of how we might perceive them.

I think there has been some (mostly) good natured darts thrown back and forth between the residents of various countries on this board. A few of them have gotten out of line and rather personal and nasty in nature. Unfortunately those are the ones that seem to generate the most attention.

One of the most civilized discussion I recall seeing in the recent past was Amber's post which called for individual opinions, without debating or attacking someone else's position. Spectre did an excellent job moderating that.

Hopefully we can all realize that we are different people, with different cultures, but we all have some common interests. Instead of focusing on those differences, our efforts should be toward our common ground.

Now, lets all just go diving!

 

[DivePartner1]

"Why I've NEVER been so insulted!" Self-important society matron

"Then you must not get out enough." W.C. Fields

We allmight reflect upon whether we're taking themselves--and this board--too seriously. It's a scuba board.

 

[Cave Diver]

DivePartner1 once bubbled...
"Why I've NEVER been so insulted!" Self-important society matron

"Then you must not get out enough." W.C. Fields

That's a classic that you just gotta love!

 

[Cherry]

I am very supportive of people voicing opinions different than mine as I hope they are of my right to believe the opposite. Often in situations like this people find criticism of policy as a criticism of a people or individuals. It is very important to have a reasonable debate about policies that affect our lives and in some cases our very existence. That reasonable debate should happen in forums like the Scuba Board. It has bothered me when many of us have responded to members comments in a personal attack. You may not agree with my opinions on US policy or the rapidly changing Geo-political situation or for that matter DIR but who knows through rational and reasonable debate you might change my mind. By all means regulators should "pull" threads that degenerate into pissing matches. But please encourage reasonable debate. A regulator posting a warning and "sermon" within the body of the debate rather than pulling it would both educate us to the "limits" and protect the reputation of the board. If it goes on then pull it and let us know. Disappearing threads in the middle of the night with no notice just sucks. (BTW thanks UP)

Cherry

 

[Northeastwrecks]

With all due respect, Clive, I disagree. I don't think that there was any misunderstanding.

There was a period recently when a number of members chose to post threads that many Americans found to be offensive. These threads were allowed to freely exist and increased in number and intensity up until a number of American members started posting their own opinions about other countries and their policies.

When the Americans showed that they could get just as nasty as our friends, a member threatened to resign, at which point the threads were pulled and we were instructed to leave the politics at home. At least one member attempted to restart the vitriol by posting something that had been ripped earlier in the week. Things shut down after this thread was also ripped.

I agree that it is far more pleasant to engage in pleasant discourse than to argue over whether a movie poster parody is appropriate. However, the fact remains that such threads will generate emotional responses. So don't be surprised when it happens or pretend innocence, shock or, worst of all, misunderstanding at the results.

Personally, I knew exactly what I was writing and why. I also believe that I understood precisely what was being said and why. However, I'm willing to play nice until and unless someone else wants to start bashing again, in which case the gloves come off.

 

[Rooster1]

I am not an American but I am behind what Northeastwrecks said a 100% There is nothing better then letting them have it with the truth

 

[WreckWriter]

There may have been some misunderstandings but I think for most part we were all perfectly aware of what we were saying and meant every word of it. Its an emotional subject, some of us are emotional people, things get hot fast. A lot of us also have friends and loved ones that are actively involved, that makes it worse.

I'm of two minds as to the moderators clamping down. First, I understand why they did but on the other hand I think NEW is right about what the trigger was for the clamp-down and I'm not sure they didn't get taken in just a bit. All was ducky when things were going one way but when the tide started to turn it was "oh my God".

WW

 

[shellbird]

Seems lately that I am drawn to posts that Clive is in, or WW. I guess in all our differences, we are similar.

I logged on to scubaboard tonight because I know that my fellow divers are for the most part - diverse, passionate, educated and regular (and I use that term loosely) people. There aren't many radicals among us but then again I haven't been visiting much lately and must have missed some interesting conversation. But I too have experienced thread pulling discussion and been a part of it. I enjoyed the banter, the points of view and felt it a "safe" place to discuss them. Hell, we are a brethren of divers, and that commonality binds us. So I thought. I thought that because of that, feelings, thoughts and ideas could be shared openly and honestly amongst friends. I still do. I hope it continues.

 

[usil]

each can have the same facts but different truths.