Re: Extremely Undignified Flame War (was Re: Extremely undignified wizarding names)

"Sabremeister Brian" <bpwakeling@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5jji8qF3rlkobU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This is getting ridiculous. I may have only been a lurker here until quite
recently, but I have been active on usenet for about five years now, so
take what I say as someone who knows what he's talking about, and have
come by that knowledge by (sometimes painful) experience.

I find the fact that three of this group's most active, interesting, and
coherent posters have managed to descend into what on one side is a
vicious, hysterical, ranting flame-war, and what on the other is two
people trying to keep their dignity when under unrelenting attack whilst
trying to defuse the situation and calm the third down, disturbing.

The sides - and they very palpably are sides - seem unbalanced. On the one
side, you have someone spouting vitriolic, insidious comments and casting
aspersions on peoples' character, degenerating into out-and-out rants -
badly spelled rants with poor grammar, at that - and basically behaving
much as someone who knows they are in the wrong but doesn't want to give
up the argument in case repetition somehow makes them in the right. On the
other side, we have two people who may not always post in the best of
taste, but have never posted anything hurtful (and certainly not as
hurtful as the other party is claiming), who have not lapsed from their
known posting characteristics, or left reason in their other jacket
today - even if they have sometimes left their dictionary. They speak with
the quiet assurance of those who know they have done nothing wrong, but
are nevertheless being assailed with accusations of having done quite
terrible things. It is only now that their calm demeanour is slipping, and
under this constant attack, who can blame them? The urge, when faced with
a relentless and irrational enemy, is to respond in kind. Although it may
provide some dry amusement for the rest of us, please do not give us the
opportunity.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, no matter how vile, how incorrect,
or how stupid it is. They must, however, be prepared to accept the fact
that not everyone will have the same opinion, and that their own opinion
can (and possibly should) change to something closer to the norm for the
group. The process of this change is often slow, as it should be in most
cases - but sometimes a faster change is necessary to stop a group dying.
An uncontrolled flame war, such as I see beginning to break out now, can
have nasty consequences - one, two, or even all three of the participants
may decide to leave the group, perhaps permanently. From what I've seen,
the worst case scenario (all three leaving forever) would result in nearly
half of the most prolific and erudite posters leaving, and not every group
can survive that. This one, due to the huge scope of the subject matter,
may do so, but I am sure that to the remaining regulars, it would seem
empty and dull for quite a while.

This sub-thread has long since left the topic of wizard names, and is only
even vaguely related to one of the themes of the Harry Potter books. If
the participants feel that they have not said everything that they have to
say - tough: This is not the place for it. If you wish to continue to
fight amongst yourselves, please take it to EMail. But on this group, you
are going to have to agree to disagree, and not take offence at every
little thing that is posted or see it as some sort of insidious expression
of subliminal perversion or personality problem. This is usenet - you need
perhaps a thicker skin to survive it than the real world. If you can't
keep your mouths shut, killfile one another until you've calmed down.

If you post another flame, or fight fire with fire, I personally will
killfile the offender, and I urge others to do the same. I don't want to
have to do that, as you are some of the best posters to this group. If
you're still at each other's throats when you come out of KF, you're going
in the permanent killfile, where you can keep Ed Conrad company as supreme
spewers of ultimate drivel. I *really* don't want to have to do that.

I try and remain detached when I'm on usenet, but I have to say that in
this thread it's hard to take anything Sue says seriously - I grew up
amongst people who behaved like that, and in the end they're all mouth no
trousers, as we say in Yorkshire. Currently, I'm reminded unpleasantly of
some of the things that are wont to come out of the mouth of Nick Griffin
(who is the head of what is basically the modern incarnation of the
British Union of Fascists). By contrast, Chris and Nuki Mouse seem to
resemble adults trying to calm a tantruming child, but the tantrum has
gone on so long, they are beginning to lose their rag.

Please, all three of you, shut up and get back to being fans of Harry
Potter. And if you can't manage that, at least continue your argument
where the rest of us can't hear it.


I wish I read this post before my last reply to Sue. Oh well, it was mostly
about the ACLU and the cost of good Scotch and not really a flame. I will
resist the admittedly strong urge to throttle.... To explain my deference in
opinions in a negative manner about non HP matters with Sue in the future.

Nuki Mouse
--
"This is just my opinion, I maybe wrong" D. Miller
"Defend free speech! Read a banned book today!" unknown.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it," S. Tallentyre, summarizing Voltaire's views.


.

Relevant Pages

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