Working together? Or at least respecting each other? I posted some General Chit Chat topics that I thought should be of interest to all of us

Paul Diamond Loc: Atlanta, GA, USA

I posted some General Chit Chat topics that I thought should be of interest to all of us - C****-** information, my state's Governor opening up our state too soon, the name of my high school being changed (it just was), etc. Most of these were sent to "The Attic"

When I posted this topic (the USPS), I thought it would be of interest to every American citizen. I wasn't being political and partisan. Any attack on an American institution, the USPS, that affects and effects every one of us should be of interest and cause concern.

Having the discussion thread 'hijacked' by the right or left was never my desire or plan. If you have nothing constructive to say, then say nothing. If all you can do is insult someone, at the least, it's character weakness or bullying, not intelligence.

I do hope our 'Admin' begins banning responses to a thread that "cross the line", not the poster or the topic that may or should be of interest to many on UHH.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Paul Diamond wrote:

...
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Having the discussion thread 'hijacked' by the right or left was never my desire or plan. If you have nothing constructive to say, then say nothing. If all you can do is insult someone, at the least, it's character weakness or bullying, not intelligence.
...

Many people cannot leave things alone.
They gotta put their 2¢ in.
I prefer to try and keep each piece of my mind as much as possible as I may need it later.

phlash46 Loc: Westchester County, New York

Paul Diamond wrote:

I posted some General Chit Chat topics that I thou... (show quote)

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I agree completely. Too many threads turn from respectful discussions into vitriolic arguments when one poster injects partisan politics, and it just goes downhill from there (and to the attic and the OP is blamed). It really IS possible to have a respectful disagreement or exchange of ideas without ad hominem attacks or rampant political right vs left tirades.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

TriX wrote:

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It really IS possible to have a respectful disagreement or exchange of ideas without ad hominem attacks or rampant political right vs left tirades.

What a concept!!!

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

You can click "report issue" when the first nasty ("cross the line") comments appear. That aids Admin in deleting just a comment vs. moving the entire thread. He recently said this:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-655988-2.html#11401720

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Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

As for the subjects Paul suggests would "be of interest to us all," those are readily available all over the internet. Attempting to swim against the tide of bad behavior in the larger UHH sections seems fruitless, especially this year.

Maybe someone can find a forum that's closely monitored/managed where thoughtful discussion is valued. Keep UHH's general chit-chat for recycling comics and old jokes.

Paul Diamond Loc: Atlanta, GA, USA

TriX wrote:

I agree completely. Too many threads turn from respectful discussions into vitriolic arguments when one poster injects partisan politics, and it just goes downhill from there (and to the attic and the OP is blamed). It really IS possible to have a respectful disagreement or exchange of ideas without ad hominem attacks or rampant political right vs left tirades.

I sincerely hope so. Calling people names or going toward partisan political stances doesn't help anyone, even the poster.

There are some people who want to express their personal opinions in an 'overly enthusastic' way. This is what I believe should earn a 'warning' from the UHH Admin. If they don't take a warning as a warning, their privileges should be restricted as a consequence, which seems completely appropriate. (Why punish anyone else for another person's indiscretions???)

Paul Diamond Loc: Atlanta, GA, USA

Linda From Maine wrote:

You can click "report issue" when the first nasty ("cross the line") comments appear. That aids Admin in deleting just a comment vs. moving the entire thread. He recently said this:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-655988-2.html#11401720

.

As always, thanks Linda. I didn't know we had the ability or responsibility to self-monitor a discussion thread or the participants.

As to topics - on UHH, we are separated by distance from the same information resources. Learning from others and their experience or knowledge is something I particularly value about UHH and our thousands of participants. I thought that learning information about C****-** for example, how to stay safe, what the medical researchers are saying/learning would be valuable to us all. I shared it as hopefully valuable and helpful information to the overall population of the UHH participants. I was not seeking any personal gain, even emotional, by doing so.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Linda From Maine wrote:

You can click "report issue" when the first nasty ("cross the line") comments appear. That aids Admin in deleting just a comment vs. moving the entire thread. He recently said this:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-655988-2.html#11401720

.

Good link Linda - thanks for posting it!

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

Paul Diamond wrote:

I posted some General Chit Chat topics that I thou... (show quote)

All the subjects you mentioned are politically controversial. Any post involving Trump is going to attract political extremists on both sides. You might as well just post them in the Attic to begin with. By the way, there is a "report issue" button to report people hijacking your topics to Admin, but that will probably just send it to the Attic.

Paul Diamond Loc: Atlanta, GA, USA

Thinking about it a bit longer, Guess I am disappointed.

If I post a topic or just respond to one, I am responsible to report any people trying to hijack an exchange of information and ideas so they can promote their anger or political opinions, or worse.

So, a topic poster or participant has the responsibility to go back and 'babysit' the topic on an ongoing basis, looking for "people who cross the line" and reporting same, if they do cross the line.

For example, I encountered someone who was crossing the line (photographic topic), belittling people with less experience, a smaller personal budget or a different level of interest/desire in the topic being discussed. I thought UHH should be about the open exchange of information and knowledge, not someone who seems to need to feel superior. I may not have succeeded in conveying the suggestion that this person think about what they say (content and focus) before they say it. (Say something helpful, supportive or positive - or say nothing at all. Didn't we all learn this from our parents?)

Paul Diamond Loc: Atlanta, GA, USA

So, I have to get ready to go and buy groceries and gasoline. And, I won't be online at UHH for a while.

Bill_de Loc: US

Paul Diamond wrote:

I thought that learning information about C****-** for example, how to stay safe, what the medical researchers are saying/learning would be valuable to us all. I shared it as hopefully valuable and helpful information to the overall population of the UHH participants. I was not seeking any personal gain, even emotional, by doing so.

I see no point in folks getting nasty. But, believing people need to come to UHH to receive valuable information on how to stay safe is a stretch. Everybody has access to the same relevant sources, where information is repeated ad nauseum, be it over the internet, tv, or any other news outlet.

When looking for information think Google, not UHH. IMHO

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Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Paul Diamond wrote:

...I may not have succeeded in conveying the suggestion that this person think about what they say (content and focus) before they say it. (Say something helpful, supportive or positive - or say nothing at all. Didn't we all learn this from our parents?)

I expressed similar thoughts back in January 2013. UHH was my first online forum of any kind and some of the behavior was a shock to me.

Paul, your posting history here suggests you don't spend a lot of time on UHH - which is much healthier than my own history

For a long time now the internet has been the playground of choice for those who want to engage in bad behavior with no consequences.