Re: For and against?

On Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:46:13 -0500, Plague Boy
<plague_boy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

So I've learned a lot from ASD, and yes, part of what I've
learned comes from people arguing about stuff here. I'm sure it
gets old for some of the regulars, and sometimes I wish it was
coached slightly differently ( "Your statement is factually
inaccurate" rather than, "You're a liar and a poo-poo head") but
text mediums where people don't know each other in meatspace tend
to produce this kind of interaction. However, despite the
acrimony, this group really seems to have a lot of knowledgeable
and supportive people. They just don't all know the same things
and support the same ideas!

I am an active member of the ADA forum, the dLife forum, a UK forum,
several Yahoo diabetes groups (well, only one active one now), and an
occasionally active member of four or five other diabetes-related
groups and web-sites.

I've now reduced my activity in a.s.d / m.h.d / a.f.d to reading every
so often and the occasional post.

But I will never forget that these usenet groups were where I learned
the most. In those other moderated groups I generally offer
suggestions but here is where I learned the information I pass on.

Here, without moderation, is where those who make claims are told to
put up or shut up. And it is here that those who do "put up", such as
past posters like Ted, or Quentin, or Frank Roy, or Old Al, or Annette
or many others or present ones like Susan (even when we don't agree:-)
or Gys or Randy (ditto) or Jan and many others provide the cites or
the logical argument to counter those rebuttals.

The readers can then form their own opinions based on that evidence or
logical argument - or, in cases such as Kurt, the lack of it.

Yes, it would be nicer if there was no argument, no acrimony, no
abuse. But then we would just see the pablum responses I see on too
many moderated groups. I was kicked off one for disagreeing with the
party line. I learned from that and made changes more slowly as a
result.

It took me several years to slowly change some low-fat, high-carb,
exercise your guts out attitudes on some other forums and to counter
the initial resistance I struck there. But now you will find that most
posters on most of those other forums now also tend to recommend the
ideas that I first encountered here. Maybe it's hubris to take some
credit for that, but I'll still do it.

I must take this opportunity to thank Kurt. Without his continual
sniping and addition of the ADA forum link in his old posts I might
never have gone there to pass on Jennifer's advice. Thanks Kurt.

The anger and crap here can put people off. But it is also the most
honest forum I know, where a disagreeing voice can not be silenced
regardless of whether that voice disagrees with me or another.

Keep arguing folks, but try not to make it too personal.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
--
d&e, metformin 2000 mg
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com (Cholesterol, Fats, Carbs, Statins and Exercise)
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com (Cairo and the Modern Egyptians)
.

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