@OldSchoolEuph said in PLEASE KEEP CIVIL!:
@ROWUK - I always found disagreeing with you on TM both entertaining and enlightening. (and sometimes quite a challenge as we dont necessarily disagree on much). The back & forth of differing experience and differing understandings helps root out truth - I will always support that, and found you to be one of the most valuable contributors in that regard.
So the issue is civility. Is it not possible to moderate a forum in such manner as civil discourse, civil debate, is possible? The only challenge is for a moderator to manage to suppress his/her own bias - which some do better at than others.
I fully agree - but discourse like range must be practiced until both sides find equilibrium (winning or losing all the time is not fun...). Squelching the post early only means that there is a winner (the admin or moderator) and a loser (devils advocate?). That is NOT a good situation in my view.
I have a view that if on earth war outbreaks, the politicians have failed - not the military. The same goes here. If we can't "reel a member in", is the problem the member, the tactical exercize or a problem with the community. I have a personal feeling about this, but am not stuck on any of those choices.
Let's take this thread. I have posted some pretty clear thoughts - no admin or moderator has engaged those thoughts. Why is that? I mention "class clowning" threads - of course I have specific members in mind - no response. What does this place stand for? Do we even have a direction or is this just a trumpet lounge with no HOT coffee, cold beer, Whiskey, Cognac or Schnaps - just warm to cool sweet mixed drinks? Well, I am diabetic and sugar is not one of my "vices" (it wasn't at TrumpetMaster either). I happen to like hot, cold and taste explosions on the tongue.
In the end, I do ask why I come back here. I am not even motivated to challenge other posts because I know how they will develop if I try. That was generally not the case in the "old world". There were a lot of "challenges" some died due to lack of argumentation, some ran in circles for months, some got "ugly" because one of the parties felt "attacked" or unfairly treated (probably my bad back then although I do have an opinion about insecure people on the internet). Some resulted in apologies. In the "uncivil threads" only the 4 letter words were dealt with. Issues concerning prejudice or hidden racism were more difficult.
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not criticizing any member, admin or moderator. I am criticizing what I see: paler shades of gray. If that is what the community wants, cool for the community. I am trying to get to the meat of the issue here. I do expect more response - especially from those with "more power". Luke warm is NOT an option (neither is war).