I'm slightly worried about the emerging tone here

[moonwalkermoon]

Hm, this is an interesting thread actually.

Someone claims that some posters publish nasty comments and thus ruin the forum. But in the course of the resulting discussion they do exactly the same.

Why is that? I think it is because they lack a simple strategy.

It always takes two to quarrel.

The simple strategy is (as in real life), if you read something you don't like, just read on.

If you meet a person that says something you don't like, just move on.

No audience, no performance.

If someone says I am an asshole why should I feel compelled to reply that he is an even bigger asshole? Apart from giving me a split second of satisfaction it won't change anything. It certainly wouldn't make the other think about his behaviour. That could be better achieved by just walking away.

Just a thought.

[Mel Asher]

Why do we so often allow ourselves to get drawn into a firefight ? If a person has a genuine grievance, then let them address it direct to the originator, and not appeal to others in the Forum to support their sense of grievance by polarising and inflaming opinions quite regardless of the consequences to others. If the private correspondence does not reach an accord, or at least an agreement to differ without further public confrontation, then that is what a Moderator is for, to advise, and sometimes to warn. I have no sympathy with people in a Forum such as this who are quite deliberately insulting - it is counter-productive as it merely serves to provide further incendiary material for the participants, to the disservice of all.

Healthy debate is one thing, seeking ego-feeding confrontations, quite another.

Use humour wisely and we will all enjoy each other's company the more.