There is line from one of my favorite Garth Brooks songs called "We Shall Be Free" It says "When we're free to love anyone we choose. When this world's big enough for all different views. When we're all free to worship from our own kind of pew. We shall be free". This idea should have been in evidence here before some people let nasty comments ruin the free expression of opinion. Getting to the point of offense is very sad for everyone involved . We live in a country where we are free to express opinions. There are times we may not always agree and that is just the nature of understanding that we all have that freedom. Granted, we need to think about what we say before we say it, but when someone expresses a differing opinion from our own, we should respect that difference and not let it degenerate into having an "Ignore User" button placed on the site. All of us need to develop a thicker skin and learn to let some things go. It is what freedom is about. So many men and women have fought and died for that right. May we all remember that and respect each other without resorting to going overboard with anger. That ruins freedom and enjoyment for everyone.
Hugs,
Jen
Comments
Sorry for the duplicate in you PM, latenight mistake
Does it really matter to you know it can be done to yourself and others?
The "ignored" user won't know anything unless you choose to tell him/her.
I'm loving it, as I asked for something like this well over a year ago :)
I don't have to be in a fight with certain person(s) for them to really rile me up with their rhetoric, I'd much rather avoid my "hot button people"
The beauty of choice to ignore someone or not to...and it doesn't affect anyone else on the site. Seems like a wonderful solution for peace and harmony.
Huggles
Frank
There is another expression
There is another expression ... "your right to swing your arms ends at my nose."
Everyone has the right to free expression, within limits, i.e. on this board, Erin owns this space so she imposes certain limits on the topics of discussion in order to maintain peace. She is well within her legal and ethical rights to do so, as she is not a government body.
But freedom of speech, does not guarantee that anyone has to listen to it. There are many people that say things that I will fight to the death to protect their ability to say, but I have no desire to hear.
There are a number of authors that write about things I have no interest in, have topics I find distateful etc. I have control over reading or not reading, their stories. But till now there was no similar way to avoid comments like that because (correctly) there is no control over blocking an individuals ability to comment on a particular story.
While it would be nice if we could "all get along" it is clear that we don't and won't always. That is not the nature of any website frankly. And with the changes to open up the posting to not even log in as guest that will probably be more true then before, not less. I do wish people would as Erin has repeatidly asked, "Think before you post." That is why the preview is enforced, but that does not always happen.
Hugs,
Kristy
I have no intention of using this option at this time...
...however, I know if this feature had been available earlier, I would have been sorely tested to use it. Developing a thicker skin is actually a goal of mine, but there are times when even my thickest armor fails to protect me from something hurtful or insensitive. And as has been pointed out, some here have actually been subject to an almost borderline/ stalking by another, so having the ability to filter that makes sense. Everyone should be able, within some form of reasonable debate, to say what they will. But no one has the right to say what they will and demand or expect to be heard, heeded or have their opinion followed. Those are choices left to the reader and listener. Editorial staffs make choices every day which letters they will publish and which will be unread. It's their prerogative.
The best part about this choice so far, from my point of view, is that it has brought about a civil and well considered debate from both sides. As has been pointed out frequently, and not just in the context of this topic today, despite the efforts of the administrators, folks sometimes don't think before they post. In some cases, they think and still choose to write something in a public comment that is best left either unsaid or posted as a personal message. My expectation is that fewer folks will use this feature than might be anticipated, and if they feel the need to be protected or sheltered, that's their right as well. Great talking to you. Have a wonderful week!
She was born for all the wrong reasons but grew up for all the right ones.
Possa Dio riccamente vi benedica, tutto il mio amore, Andrea
Love, Andrea Lena
Skin
One of my goals is, rather, not to have a thicker skin, but rather to not need one. Consider water. It has a very thin "skin", yet trying to hurt it by hitting it is rather pointless, as it absorbs the impact and flows around it, flowing back into place afterward. I would rather be like water, adaptable and fluid, than rigidly encased in my principles.
-Liz
-Liz
Successor to the LToC
Formerly known as "momonoimoto"
I Agree There Are Things That Should Be Off Limits
I agree there should be things that are off limits and are outside of the TG /TS issue and I understand why Erin has it set up that way. What I meant by this is that by ignoring other opinions, you deprive yourself of a chance to look at something from another view or from a fresh perspective. I have read some opinions on here that have actually made me think and say to myself "Wow, I never thought of it that way" It has actually helped me as a writer because there are some things I don't know as much about. There are people that may have been in the situation I am talking about and they can offer insight into what they may have been thinking and feeling at that moment. It may come out in the form of anger because that was and is how they may have felt at the time.
Hugs,
Jen
I agree with that Jen, but
I agree with that Jen, but there are lots of people here in various stages of hurting, and sometimes they just are not able to deal with certain things at certain times.
The ignore option is a form of self filtering, and since it only hides the text, the user can always chose to unblock it. I don't know if replies to that users posts are also hidden as a result, but often you can get an idea just from the replies.
All I'm saying is making the option availble is not harmful to the community here. Let's face it, the people that would use this feature are already trying to ignore those posts, this just makes it easier for them to do.
Hugs,
Kristy