discovolante wrote: ↑Sat May 30, 2020 1:57 pm
We've had a couple of reports/messages about the tone of tom p's posts in here, which have contained personal insults but also some valid points (whether you agree with them or not). We've acted on the posts accordingly. Please can everyone try and remember that avoiding personal insults isn't just for the benefit of the person the post is directed at, but the community as a whole.
Here's a link to what I wrote. Does anyone *really* think that it's inappropriate?
I was replying to the key point he made, to whit " If someone calls me and asks for someone else's phone number, sorry, but that's not my information to give."
He is saying what he would do. Not voicing an opinion in the abstract. "It's not mine to give". He made it personal. I replied in exactly the same vein, except with scorn and knowledge, rather than pomposity and ignorance.
You need to ask yourselves whether you want to be a bunch of Matt Hancockesque disingenuous tone police, or whether you want a forum where ridiculous claims are ridiculed.
There was one insult, one. I called him a dick*ead (is that adequately self-censored m'luds? *tugs forelock*) for his position that he wouldn't give out someone else's phone number to track and tracers if he had potentially infected that person. I mean, seriously, what is there to say about someone who makes this claim? Someone who is implicitly encouraging others to do the same through his disinformation.
What should I have gone with? "Potentially murderous idiot"? That's more accurate; but, I would contend, far more insulting.
Such spreading of disinformation needs to be stamped-down precisely for the community as a whole. The whole community, and for their real health benefit.
You need to take a long hard look at yourselves, whichever mods took part in this decision. You should be ashamed of yourselves.