Walk away from hot topics

[Ian]

It's wonderful that in all your time here you've never witnessed those things. However, I've seen some really "horrifyingly rude" things said about handicapped people and overweight people. And no, it was not in the guise of expressing an opinion, these were just straight out ugly, insulting things to say.

Oops look ... I quoted your post again! I failed!

No but seriously ... Did you blow the whistle on these posts to report them to INTERCOT staff? If so, were they edited?

And in regards to the cheating the system posts, I actually agree with you on that one. I've seen people blasted for what I think is a legitimate, if not somewhat naiive, question. Not to mention that, although INTERCOT has a strict no cheating the system policy, most people don't know that when they first sign up (and let's face it ... a lot of other Disney fan sites encourage and advocate ways to cheat the system) so they may not really know they're breaking the rules.

Although in fairness, no one gets it worse than the "Disney is building a theme park in my backyard!" folks!

[TheVBs]

Ian, I do love and appreciate that you keep your sense of humor!

Admittedly, no, I did not report the worst posts that I saw. However, there were two reasons for this. The first is that I saw the worst of it when I was very new to the site and it actually didn't occur to me to report them. Now I would. The second is that the people who were making these posts weren't new to the forum, based on their number of posts, and in most cases moderators already seemed to be aware of the thread because they'd made posts to it themselves.

There is a third reason and I'm a bit stuck on that one, but it would be inappropriate to list it here.

I do groan when someone asks one of those naive questions, but not as much as I groan with the inevitability that someone's going to say something accusatory. I don't envy the mods jobs and I completely understand and respect the no discussion of cheating rule. It's a good one! It would be really nice to see people simply state the Disney rules or policy on whatever's being asked without adding a comment accusing that person of dishonesty. Now, if someone comes out and says "How do I get around this rule?" That's totally different.

[Ian]

Ian, I do love and appreciate that you keep your sense of humor!

Admittedly, no, I did not report the worst posts that I saw. However, there were two reasons for this. The first is that I saw the worst of it when I was very new to the site and it actually didn't occur to me to report them. Now I would. The second is that the people who were making these posts weren't new to the forum, based on their number of posts, and in most cases moderators already seemed to be aware of the thread because they'd made posts to it themselves.

There is a third reason and I'm a bit stuck on that one, but it would be inappropriate to list it here.

I do groan when someone asks one of those naive questions, but not as much as I groan with the inevitability that someone's going to say something accusatory. I don't envy the mods jobs and I completely understand and respect the no discussion of cheating rule. It's a good one! It would be really nice to see people simply state the Disney rules or policy on whatever's being asked without adding a comment accusing that person of dishonesty. Now, if someone comes out and says "How do I get around this rule?" That's totally different.

Look!! I quoted you again! Didn't think I'd do it, did you??

And I hear you, but listen ... don't ever be intimidated by someone's perceived status on the site. Even mods, at times, say things they shouldn't say in the heat of the moment and even they need to be held accountable for it.

Trust me ... I say this based on long, painful, and extensive experience.

The only thing I'll say is, before you blow the whistle, make sure what you're reading is really offensive and not just something you took personally because it's a hot issue for you.

[Hammer]

Look!! I quoted you again! Didn't think I'd do it, did you??

And I hear you, but listen ... don't ever be intimidated by someone's perceived status on the site. Even mods, at times, say things they shouldn't say in the heat of the moment and even they need to be held accountable for it.

Trust me ... I say this based on long, painful, and extensive experience.

The only thing I'll say is, before you blow the whistle, make sure what you're reading is really offensive and not just something you took personally because it's a hot issue for you.

What Ian said .

Seriously, all of us, mods included, can say something that may come off as offensive. I can't speak for all, but I know when I have done it, it was most definitely unintentional with malice towards none. Just sometimes when stating an opinion (and that is what it is, an opinion) people let their emotions come through. We all have a bad day every now and then, even Ian .

[Ian]

We all have a bad day every now and then, even Ian .

Yeah ... Some of us more than others!!!

[Hammer]

Yeah ... Some of us more than others!!!

Hey, what are you trying to say there ? (Everyone, we are just joking around...)

[Mousefever]

Is this the right room for an argument?

No, sorry. This is abuse.

Personally, I love a good debate. My bigger problem is with those who seem to make a profession out of being offended. The lack of honest and sincere dialogue in this country is, in my opinion, largely responsible for the disasterous mess we've sunk into. If people could have open, respectful debates with one another instead of just immediately shouting opposing voices down, we might not have degenerated into this partisan "my side is better than your side" garbage we now see on a daily basis.

My advice? If you feel as though you can't tolerate opposing viewpoints and they make you so angry that you feel like you "have to walk away", then yeah ... walk away. But even better would be if you could just stop and think for a moment what the other guy is saying and maybe even look for a shred of common ground there. There are ways to disagree with one another that can be respectful and productive at the same time.

Stepping down off my soapbox now ...

Here, here!

Amy

[TheVBs]

Look!! I quoted you again! Didn't think I'd do it, did you??

Cheeky!

And I hear you, but listen ... don't ever be intimidated by someone's perceived status on the site. Even mods, at times, say things they shouldn't say in the heat of the moment and even they need to be held accountable for it.

Trust me ... I say this based on long, painful, and extensive experience.

The only thing I'll say is, before you blow the whistle, make sure what you're reading is really offensive and not just something you took personally because it's a hot issue for you.

No problem!