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tim
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Really getting into it |
Location: UK, West of London in Ber...
Registered: February 2002
Messages: 842
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I would like something th be wholly clear about cliques and other matters. That I am aganst them, aganst armies, against battle lines being drawn and against all the things that I have been accused of by people elsewhere.
I don't particularly want to have a whole long set of threads over this, but, with courtesy, you are welcome to post, and, yes, to disagree fundamentally with me. The only thing I will enforce in the thread and on the board here is politeness. Impolite or intemperate messages to anyone will disappear whoever they come from and whatever the rest of their contents, whether I agree or disagree with the message I disagree automatically if it is worded unpleasantly.
I have things I believe in. These include the right to freedom of speech. That right ensures that I may criticise those with whom I disgaree. It also means I may seek to lobby those who have a different opinion in order to persuade them to change their minds. It does not mean that I may insult them or call their sanity into question as has happened to me elsewhere. It does mean that, when attacked I may defend myself. It even means that, where libelled, if I choose to, I may have recourse to the law.
We all have those rights. I support those rights, and I will argue in favour of a perosn's right to express an opinion which differs from my own. At the same time I may also choose to fight the expressed opinion.
What I do not support is the concept of "marshalling troops" against someone else, or against another group of other people. If anyone is "taking my side" over something, please think again. Please take your own side and discuss matters from your own standpoint. Equally, no-one needs "messages of support" if they are simply that, in the same way that no-one needs unpleasant messages.
A well considered discussion about the merits of an opinion is an excellent thing to see yes, even if it disgarees with someone else, as long as it is done with courtesy. Waving a "team flag" is tribal and makes a nonsense of everything most realistic people stand for.
I have, as you will see, succeeded recently in upsetting a number of people in other places. Under other circumstances I number those people as my friends. I am no longer sure if those upset number me among theirs, yet even that does not matter.
Strident voices are being raised, and old coals are being raked over by those who get joy from bringing up other hurts, older hurts. Bringing them up hurts those who were hurt by them originally. It would be well to remember that people get hurt by flack when old things are raised anywhere. Such things happen as verbal violence escalates seemingly out of control.
Given time this will die down of its own accord. The purpose of this message is to ask those of you who post here, and those who simply read here, to act peacefully and form no cliques. I want no "supporters club" and I doubt that others want one either.
What I want to do above all things is to presevre this place as one where one can express an opinion, even a controversial one, knowing that a peaceful discussion will take place.
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No Cliques, please
By: tim on Wed, 27 February 2002 15:08 |
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Postscript
By: tim on Wed, 27 February 2002 15:49 |
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Re: Postscript
By: trevor on Wed, 27 February 2002 16:27 |
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Re: Postscript
By: tim on Wed, 27 February 2002 16:53 |
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Re: No Cliques, please
By: brian on Wed, 27 February 2002 17:23 |
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From Controversy Comes Growth
By: charlie on Thu, 28 February 2002 01:35 |
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Now how did my email addy get screwed up???
By: charlie on Thu, 28 February 2002 01:36 |
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Aimed at no-one
By: tim on Thu, 28 February 2002 10:05 |
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