To Critique or not to Critique

[DiveBandit]

Opinions wanted. Do you or would you Critique an incident/accident and post your thoughts even when your opinion will probably be unpopular.

example.
A post talks about an injured diver and in your opinion the diver made a critical mistake which in the end caused the accident.

A post talks about a positive response to an incident you might have handled differently. (not necassarilly better)


Although I have to recuse myself from this as the topic creator I wan't to say we should Critique.

 

[dherbman]

Can I just talk out my arse or should I have some actual knowledge of the incident?

It probably doesn't matter, I read incident threads to learn what I can. There is little I can contribute when conjecture comprises 80% of what is usually presented. It becomes speculation based on someone elses speculation.

 

[HowardE]

Can I just talk out my arse or should I have some actual knowledge of the incident?

I think more people here would do the former instead of the latter.

 

[Lead_carrier]

If I had first hand knowledge of what happened and IF it served a useful purpose then I probably would comment and critique. So much of the critiquing comes from the divers that know only what they read, have only book scenerios to go from and little experience to draw their conclusions from. Unfortunately, it is human nature the WE all tend to comment, even when we know we shouldn't.

 

[TSandM]

On the fatalities, where no one here was actually involved, there probably isn't much that's constructive that comes out of speculating and criticizing what MIGHT have happened.

But on the incidents that are reports as they occurred, by the people involved, I think there is a LOT of value in discussing. I've read threads where a number of people have agreed with whatever was done, and then someone else comes on and says, "No, I think it should have been done this way," and often that is very educational -- to think through the different approaches and try to decide which one seems to make better sense, and why.

When I was a surgical resident, we presented all our deaths and complications at a weekly conference. You got to tell the assembled staff what you did and what happened, and then listen to a bunch of feedback about what SHOULD have happened and why. It was often painful, but almost always educational, not only for the people involved in the incident, but for people trying to learn how NOT to get into the same situation. I don't think diving is any different in that respect.

 

[dvr4lyf]

Since the question has been put out there... I read every accident report and learn what I can from what little info they may or may not contain. One of the many benifits of this board I enjoy is the ability to discuss what other opinions are out there, right or completly wrong, so I may draw my own conclusions. Thanks to S.B.!!
On this subject I remain humbly yours in the water,
Joe

 

[Cacia]

Lynne, do you know if those M&M conferences are still protected information?

I only get uncomfortable sometimes in these threads when there are different objectives .....like accident analysis going on alongside with condolences to friends and family members. I wish they were seperated.

I think they serve a useful purpose even when people discuss hypotheticals. It is a little touchy though. I wonder if lawyers ever peruse what people have written?

 

[lai_rallos]

I've been reading posts about accidents and incidents and most of the time i just want to have an idea about it and of course learn from it. I don't comment on it as I felt I don't have anything important to say anyways. But I think people comment on those so that they can share what they know to other people especially to new divers like me.

-lai-

 

[TerryInFlorida]

Can I just talk out my arse or should I have some actual knowledge of the incident?

It probably doesn't matter, I read incident threads to learn what I can. There is little I can contribute when conjecture comprises 80% of what is usually presented. It becomes speculation based on someone elses speculation.

Without all the facts everyone is left to speculate, are you saying when you read about incidents on the forum, there are not questions in your mind? Of course there is. Do you just hate it when others discuss those questions openly? If someone is wrong, so what? We are not sitting amongst other jurers, preparing to rule. If it is posted on the forums it is up for open discussion, respectively. Do you wish to censor this?

Half of what we do is sit around and shoot the sheet on these forums... I find the ideas and opinions very interesting and extremely revealing of the person posting them, so you can say I respect anyone who is willing to share that openly more than those that are not.


I am merely asking questions to attempt to find out what your opinions are, not an attempt to insult. If you find the questions insulting, I aplogize.

 

[lamont]

Personally I think speculation should be encouraged. Even though the threads usually devolve into a lot of people talking out their arse, I'm willing to go through a hundred of those threads to get through the one where you've actually gain a lot of light and people learn something. I also don't care about the feelings of the dead (they're dead) or too much about the feelings of those left behind (pretty sure they're more hurt by someone they knew being dead more than some thread on scubaboard). If it were up to me it would be open season everytime there was an accident because I'd rather see the discussion out there, even if it was lame most of the time.

The suppression of any discussion of accidents on scubaboard in the name of suppressing speculation is one of the points about this board which I really find annoying.... YMMV...