Quote:
But there is a subtle distinction between civil debate and flamethrowing

Not subtle at all. If it's directed at the topic of conversation, it's civil debate. If it's directed at the individual taking the other side, it's flamethrowing. No qualifiers needed.

I look at it like this. Most people here get involved in these discussions not to change others' opinions, but as a joint venture towards finding a common ground and understanding of the issues at hand, and to get an idea what the "other side" is thinking. Especially in the religious and political discussions, I see everyone who comes from the left looking at those on the right with genuine curiosity, not suspicious contempt. None of us wants to be enlightened or proselytized, but we do want to try to see what it is we're not getting, and see if there's any way for us to "get it" or at least be able to understand it as it becomes more evident in the world around us. It's all about the pursuit of truth and understanding, which is never a bad thing.

Recently, I've been dismayed at some of the recent events on the board, like where Brad came out and said he felt like he was being attacked and persecuted. Other conservatives have chipped in with less specific but still palpable feelings that they were tired of the discussions, didn't have time for them, weren't really seeing the point of them, etc. I'm sure it's hard to be one of the five or six major dissenting voices with a cast of a thousand liberals ready to question your position, so I understand the dismay. But any time any of these discussions have approached the hatred and vitrol level, I've always seen both sides here throttle back the rhetoric and let the issue drop (until it becomes newsworthy again.)

Apparently, CommOri feels (felt, whatever) that all we're doing is attacking the other side personally. That statement undermines the good intentions of these debates, and the good will of this community in general. And when some peripheral BBS lurker comes in and drops a grenade like this on his way out the door, directed squarely at people that I enjoy conversing with on a daily basis, I'm quite happy to never see the fucker on the BBS again. Not that I saw him in the first place.
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- Tony C
my empeg stuff