blogs_blog_137

*claps* -Swert

*looks at all the "debate" topics in the forums*

 

*looks back here*

 

*claps*

 

And to think I asked myself why I stayed out of them...

"The Best way to win a fight is to avoid one."

-- Dale Carnegie, Author of How to Make Friends and Influence People

Keep your eyes in CoT, that seems to be where most problems are...

I fully agree with you. Debating is one thing, as long as it doesnt tun into flame, spam, cussing, etc.

Right on, Janus. *massive applause*

 

~Nikira

But it's so fun to see people get bent out of shape over such trivial matters.

 

*applause*

 

Well, as I said in my comment to your State of Bionicle entry, two groups who like different things can still communicate respectfully, and through learning more about the others' preferences avoid worse future flameouts. That's what I try to encourage, and I have to respectfully disagree with the advice to "stop talking." I prefer to advise people to talk respectfully.

 

True, though, if someone really cannot control themselves in debate and is tempted to flame, your advice is wise. But remember there's also the possibility of real problems existing with Bionicle, and so it's important to foster respectful debate, so that we can better identify them if they exist. That's one of the main things I devote my time to on here. So I for one don't have that option -- I have to keep entering discussions and bringing the logical side of things to the table, focused both on encouraging others to respect their differences and see each other as friends despite that, and on using logic to find the truth about what LEGO should do with Bionicle, when that is the issue at hand. I see that as a responsibility I have, both as a moderator, and as a logician.

 

Because if you don't talk about problems, they're less likely to go away. They can just get worse and worse until things explode. It's the trap I've seen countless other franchise fan forums fall into, and it can even tear apart a franchise itself (Star Trek, for example, not to name sites...).

 

Or, alternatively, if you don't talk about why something isn't a problem, the opinion that it is can get more and more radical until, again, it explodes. I don't wanna see that happen.

 

As far as two sides just saying what they like or dislike and then throwing mud at each other because of their own ignorance, though, I agree, that is pointless, harmful, and should never be done. I see that as frankly akin to racism, because we are born with our tastes as much as we are our physical features. It's just harder to realize that's what it is, because we can't see our tastes directly. And of course tastes aren't purely genetic, but still.

 

And of course, listening to each other is the key -- without that, all we could have is mudslinging in circles, which I have zero interest in.