Posted by PeterH on November 17, 2006 at 13:44:27 from 86.137.75.168 user Peter_H.
In Reply to: Re: Listening (was lurking) posted by Jock on November 17, 2006 at 00:38:53:
If I can answer Mike, Adam and Jock in one posting (it saves all those lurkers the fag of opening several messages):
Mike - You have the freedom to choose whichever category you are in, or none of them!
Adam - so far it seems to be assumed that the lurkers are reading our posts with polite interest. What if they are having a good laugh, or making scathing comments, or thinking 'Ho ho - look, PeterH is making a fool of himself again!' I would rather they voiced their criticisms in the open so that I could respond. If this seems a bit paranoid, I did meet someone a year or two ago at a TARS meeting who proudly announced 'I always read TarBoard but I never post. Now I've got a few things to say about your posting on . . .' I stopped him immediately, and said that I will not discuss TarBoard postings off-board and that if he wanted to say something please post it on the board. It did not go down too well, but that is my position. Damn well make the effort to post!
Before the flak starts coming round my ears, I reply to Jock. Yes, for 'lurking problem', substitute 'lurking question' or 'lurking topic'. 'Problem' was the wrong word.
Finally, Jock's remark that 'anyone trying to preach intolerance, would I suspect, have their ears soundly boxed'. In my TarBoard experience that just does not happen. People get away with murder, and all the others ignore it and carry on posting about something or other. What is even worse is when people ignore the issues at stake and simply tell the protagonists to 'stop squabbling'. This is completely to ignore that there is a right and a wrong side and that someone may be preaching intolerance and the other side should be supported, not condemned. There have been one or two examples this year. Jock - I only wish people would speak out more. However, and it's a big 'however', you did the board a sterling service with your posting in reply to *** ******* a few months ago, summing up where he had gone wrong. I found such support immensely reassuring and consoling and I thank you for it.