To transliterate from the Burns original:
Oh would some power the gift give us 

To see ourselves as others see us

 

There's not a lot of good-natured chat about the forum these days, for which I blame a lack of understanding, or more accurately an excess of misunderstanding.

 

I understand it is difficult to explain why one cannot respond to a poster without potentially sounding offensive, although a surprising number manage it with post such as "Gamma Globulin, your posts are too long to understand, and <deleted> like me will be never able to respond, please plumb to our depths" (that is not a literal quote).

But I am sure others amongst us also struggle to cater to the masses, and some well-meaning advice might help.
The challenge is to make advice sound well-meaning and helpful, not as criticism - more difficult too, coming from a stranger.
Were a friend from the Cycling Forum to say "Cowboy  - Brevity" I would take it better than from a Stranger in the Pub.

Maybe one amongst us might choose to start a thread in a discreet forum where select members (I think I am speaking to the members of the selection box here) might provide advice to one another without necessarily pointing the finger and naming the individual, thus hopefully avoiding any possible conflict, feuds and subsequent death threats.  Or at least idle death threats.
 

Is this not your first Topic, in many years?

 

Why NOT point the finger, anyway?

 

Have you never been to the Oxford Union?

On 8/7/2022 at 9:31 AM, GammaGlobulin said:

Is this not your first Topic, in many years?

 

Why NOT point the finger, anyway?

 

Have you never been to the Oxford Union?

I watched the 1990 Calcutta Cup in a Cambridge Union.

One amongst us is prone to posting what might be considered non sequitors, or obtuse comments, that make further response difficult, such that their posts tend to remain as the last word on threads, without being conclusive or closing. 

 

Maybe more than one.

 

Please feel free to use the name of yours truly as a once tarnished cynic that has (attempted) to learn how to shine in the art of tongue in cheek .    Someone whose sarcastic skills often led to offers of dueling at twenty posts ....... who has now found it more enjoyable to avoid the stress of such combat and can be found still communicating with adversaries that can overcome their hubris as well.

 

I have a FEW  "standards"  that are very inflexible .... but of course on a forum (and more and more in real time,  as i age)  , the last thing i want is to get into serious debates about matters that do not directly affect ME.     I give my point of view,  often with an attempt at humor,  and let others have theirs.  

 

As the OP points out,  the battle for the "last word" and the silly use of passive aggresive comments (if not just flat out aggressive  55)  ,   is all too common.   Also,  after so many years and so many topics..... it all can become trite .   As can many things.     But,  keeping on keeping on is the challenge .    

 

I just recently started a topic about shoes .   Maybe a verse from a Bob Dylan song would be entertaining in this thread :

 

"  I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
You'd know what a drag it is to see you"

 

no, i have no one in mind at this time.   but........... check back with me after a while on the forum   ????

 

 

 

13 minutes ago, rumak said:

Please feel free to use the name of yours truly as a once tarnished cynic that has (attempted) to learn how to shine in the art of tongue in cheek .    Someone whose sarcastic skills often led to offers of dueling at twenty posts ....... who has now found it more enjoyable to avoid the stress of such combat and can be found still communicating with adversaries that can overcome their hubris as well.

 

I have a FEW  "standards"  that are very inflexible .... but of course on a forum (and more and more in real time,  as i age)  , the last thing i want is to get into serious debates about matters that do not directly affect ME.     I give my point of view,  often with an attempt at humor,  and let others have theirs.  

 

As the OP points out,  the battle for the "last word" and the silly use of passive aggresive comments (if not just flat out aggressive  55)  ,   is all too common.   Also,  after so many years and so many topics..... it all can become trite .   As can many things.     But,  keeping on keeping on is the challenge .    

 

I just recently started a topic about shoes .   Maybe a verse from a Bob Dylan song would be entertaining in this thread :

 

"  I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
You'd know what a drag it is to see you"

 

no, i have no one in mind at this time.   but........... check back with me after a while on the forum   ????

 

 

 

Once tarnished, twice burnished.

5 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

Once tarnished, twice burnished.

wax on........ wax off  ??

Wax on, wane away

1 hour ago, rumak said:

wax on........ wax off  ??

Quite befitting of what passes as fanciful madness. 

 

 

 

I put it down to the amount of double/triple agents on here.

 

 

14 minutes ago, farmerjo said:

I put it down to the amount of double/triple agents on here.

 

 

Two out of three ain’t bad

On 8/23/2022 at 10:57 PM, StreetCowboy said:

One amongst us is prone to posting what might be considered non sequitors, or obtuse comments, that make further response difficult, such that their posts tend to remain as the last word on threads, without being conclusive or closing. 

 

Maybe more than one.

 

Dead Posts?