 |
||||||||
|
1/09/2003 04:36:00 AM | Timothy Can't we all just get along? It's getting a little mean here. Can we all be a little more respectful to each other? I mean, I think name calling in jest is fine, like when I called Brad Plumer an Apologist for Cannibalism (I hope he saw it the same way, heh. Brad, it is just jealously that I can't match your great sense of humor, which sincerely is probably my greatest pleasure in reading this site). But in the past people have accused people of not even reading their posts and insulted them personally for that. I'll single Jared out as the latest incarnation of this disrespect, with his title below attacking Michelle's discernment and saying to her: "That you took that to mean that I was displacing our political onus is somewhat unfounded if not irrational. Perhaps you should take some time whilst peering out of said tower to read." I don't think that misreading or possibly misinterpreting someone's post is 'irrational' even if it is unfounded. It is frustrating if someone does that and you feel that way, but it is bound to happen and if we personally attack each other in a sincerely mean manner every time we feel someone didn't understand us, then this is not going to be a fun site. We can attack each others' logic without always attacking each other ability to logically reason. We can easily note with greater levity if we think others have made mistakes. This is not to say that everyone actually always DOES closely read everyone's post before responding. I know I was untypically light on logic on one exchange ( I think with Jon?) a week ago, but there wasn't personal attacks then. And hopefully in the future people might excuse my too frequently hastily posted responses, written under conditions that too often involve sleep deprivation and the like (note the time of this post!). People should feel they can express their opinions freely, however tenative they are, and expect good vigorous debate and lively comebacks. This is a mixture of conversation and writing, so let's let it be a back and forth dialogue, with mistatements and all. I can't say that we all should never attack someone for pretentiousness or other perceived sins (if I said that, those of you who know my history of attacking John Stevenson on the Dartmouth Observer would rightly call me a hypocrite). To be sure, I'm not saying to Jared, for example, that it's necessarily always unfair to accuse those who say people are being elistist and stuck in an ivory tower with doing a similar thing. But let's start with the presumption of being polite and not call each other irrational or stupid at least. Generally, rudeness is best done in a friendly manner with biting insults delivered with levity (think of how fun it is to watch Prime Minister's questions in the House of Commons). I'm not saying this should be a mandate and we should have politeness police, or that we should all be Gandhi-like. I'm saying that the discussion on the site would be better if there would be no need for those (especially personal) attacks. We should aim for a site like that. I am confident we can have sharp, pointed, funny, and respectful debate. Now I will get off my soap box, and get back to that paper on rhetoric I've been avoiding. perma link |
| 0 comments
0 Comments: |
Dartmouth The Free Press Alums for Social Change The Green Magazine The Dartmouth Dartmouth Observer Dartmouth Review Dartlog Inner Office The Little Green Blog Welton Chang's Blog Vox in Sox MN Publius (Matthew Martin) Netblitz Dartmouth Official News Other Blogs Ampersand Atrios Arts & Letters Altercation Body and Soul Blog For America Brad DeLong Brad Plumer CalPundit Campus Nonsense Clarksphere Crooked Timber Cursor Daily Kos Dean Nation Dan Drezner The Front Line Instapundit Interesting Times Is That Legal? Talking Points Memo Lady-Likely Lawrence Lessig Lean Left Left2Right Legal Theory Matthew Yglesias Ms. Musings MWO Nathan Newman New Republic's &c. Not Geniuses Ornicus Oxblog Pandagon Political State Report Political Theory Daily Review Queer Day Roger Ailes SCOTUS blog Talk Left TAPPED Tacitus This Modern World Tough Democrat Untelevised Volokh Conspiracy Washington Note X. & Overboard Magazines, Newspapers and Journals Boston Globe Ideas Boston Review Chronicle of Higher Education Common Dreams Dissent In These Times Mother Jones New York Review of Books New York Times Salon Slate The American Prospect The Nation The New Republic The Progressive Tikkun Tom Paine Village Voice Washington Monthly Capitol Hill Media ABC's The Note American Journalism Review Columbia Journalism Review CQ Daily Howler Donkey Rising The Hill Medianews National Journal NJ Hotline NJ Wake-up call NJ Early Bird NJ Weekly Political Wire Roll Call Spinsanity Search Search the DFP  |
|||||||
The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Dartmouth College or the Dartmouth Free Press.