James Borg states that human communication consists of 93 percent body language and paralinguistic cues, while only 7% of communication consists of words themselves;^[1] however, Albert Mehrabian, the researcher whose 1960s work is the source of these statistics, has stated that this is a misunderstanding of the findings^[2] (see Misinterpretation of Mehrabian's rule). Others assert that "Research has suggested that between 60 and 70 percent of all meaning is derived from nonverbal behavior."^[3]

So, when writing in posts on the forum etc there are no verbal emphasis in tone or facial expression to make a particular point or express an opinion or attitude.

So, is then fair to say that what is written is not necessarily how its been taken or interpreted by different readers and in fact its their own disposition or history and experience may dictate how they respond ? Not what is actually being said but how it is being percieved by the reader ?

Have you ever reacted to a statement and thought later, sh*t I took that the wrong way ? I know I have and I wonder how many threads have turned into bun fights purely from misunderstanding.

What do you mean?

I think a lot of people mis-interpret/dont understand the sarcastic, ironic, p*ss take type post a lot of the time, certainly when there isnt a "smiley" inserted...one particular english speaking nation prevalent on TV seem to take a lot of these types of comments very literally...

Yes , exactly, and people often take some posts literally not realising they are meant in an entirely different way and coming from a totally different perspective.

I think this may lead to some judging others or attacking them and insulting them when its not warranted. I believe we should all take a breath occasionally and just think a second before engaging the fingers to respond to some threads and exercise some of the tolerance we all deserve from time to time.

The use of emoticons is very handy

harder to convey sarcasm, without offending sometimes, but every little bit helps.

I think a lot of people mis-interpret/dont understand the sarcastic, ironic, p*ss take type post a lot of the time, certainly when there isnt a "smiley" inserted...one particular english speaking nation prevalent on TV seem to take a lot of these types of comments very literally...

i think a lot of people are thick.

a post can be concise and understandable without smiles, tone is something a writer can control.

besides, what is the point of being ironic if you have to wave a flag that says irony while you are doing it?

I think a lot of people mis-interpret/dont understand the sarcastic, ironic, p*ss take type post a lot of the time, certainly when there isnt a "smiley" inserted...one particular english speaking nation prevalent on TV seem to take a lot of these types of comments very literally...

i think a lot of people are thick.

a post can be concise and understandable without smiles, tone is something a writer can control.

besides, what is the point of being ironic if you have to wave a flag that says irony while you are doing it?

Yes but is there a "thick icon" just so I can be sure?

Any idea what inspired you to start this thread ?

I've said it before; someone needs to come up with a sarcasim font.

Maybe we should nominate one for TV or have a poll??

Possibly 'comic sans MS' is suitable

Any idea what inspired you to start this thread ?

He got tired of examining the lint in his navel and this thread popped into his head.

I think it happens a lot more than most of us realize. in the written word (and often in the spoken) people will zero in on a sentence or a word and forget about the content or intent .

I think we are all at fault for this at one time or another. The sad part about,is that it is difficult to go back and explain the misunderstanding. People take offense and it would become a waste of broadband to try and clear it up. So we live with the mistake. And the misunderstanding.

Some people forget that they're using an electronic medium ... so while the tone of the writer can get across, it's missing the physical voice of the person, which can convey the other percentage. Unfortunately some take advantage of it, writing something completely bogus, or offensive, and then coming back later to ask for forgiveness. At the end of the day I'm sure there are worse things to get offended over.

Attach feelings to a certain poster and let him/her grow on you, or annoy the heck out of you, and it's just bound to become a big mess later. Let it go in one ear and out the other. If it's something that important, then by all means, add it to the shelf.