How hard could it be to think before you post?
Lord Gonchar said:
Jeff said:
I think you're a dick, Gonch.I think you're a dick too.
Finally, something we can ALL agree on! :)
I like the Gonch approach- it's never personal. That said, it's often easy to believe it is. Someone was right when they said this site is hardcore. Of course, that's what you're going to get when a bunch of passionate people get together, all with different interests and different agendas. Some people around here like to talk up the business aspect of the amusement industry. Others are nostalgics that want to talk preservation and lament change for the sake of change. It's easy to get caught up in defending your view to the point where debates seem to get a little personal. After all, this is the internet- a place where communication is limited to typed words without the help of things like vocal tone, body movement and facial expressions.
I'll be the first to admit that I get a little hot and bothered at times, and I'll also admit that there are times when I look forward to a conversation that manages to get under my skin. I like being in a postion where I have to defend the things that I believe in. But I believe the majority of people on this site are like me and aren't here just to get attention by starting fights and annoying people. I've been posting to this site for close to seven years now and while many of the faces have changed, the core of the site hasn't. It's still a bunch of enthusiasts, and all of them have slightly different things thet want to talk about. I know it keeps me coming back, and will continue to do so. It just requires a thick skin at times.
;) couldn't resist.
Great Lakes Brewery Patron...
-Mark
Too many people take a disagreement, or the presentation of facts that disprove a personal opinion, as a personal attack. Then again, these are the same kids who just got old enough to sign up for a web-site message board and haven't yet learned that the really real world is much more personal, and a heck of lot less friendly.
"Your opinion is wrong."
Doesn't that sound arrogant?
If you can't recall what the difference is between an "opinion" and a "fact" is, then I really can't help you much with the tactfulness in your replies.
Some people here do not respect that others may have a different view, and they word their posts in such a way to represent their "opinions" as "fact". That really gets on my nerves.
It's not that I can't take that people here have different views. It's that people here think that their view is the only view that is right.
What makes this such a hard concept to grasp? To me it is simply common knowledge I learned as a child to be respectful, even to people I talk to on an Internet massage baord.
And I'm not talking about any one person in particular in this post. About half who disagree with anyone here state so in a respectable way.
Why aren't my words in this topic profound and meaningful? Why do some still come to this thread and mock ME? If you disagree even with my opinion in this thread, say so with respect. A lot of replies in this very topic show what I am talking about. I don't even want this topic to be about me (even though it is), I want it to be about how everyone can better interact with each other in other posts.
A lot of insinuations about ME are totally wrong and off. I'm sorry if I seem a certain way. That's not me, that's what some of you wish to portray me as. *** Edited 8/10/2007 3:34:27 AM UTC by dexter***
The flip side to "half the people around here don't repsond with respect" is that half the people around here take things far, far, far too personally.
And then there are those who seem awfully attention starved. About time to move on, don't you think?
-Nate
*** Edited 8/9/2007 9:20:27 PM UTC by coasterdude318***
Oooohhh, I just blew your mind. :)
Seriously though, let's see what good ol' Merriam Webster has to say:
"belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge"
Without being too much of a dick, I think positive knowledge can prove opinion wrong in cases where that positive knowledge is available - like when an opinion is formed regardless of (or without knowledge of) the facts that exist.
For example:
"It is my opinion that if I bury a dollar in the backyard that a money tree will grow next spring."
In this kind of situation, the opinion is wrong.
But in the case of something like X is better than Y, no opinion is 'wrong' - and on the same note, no opinion is 'right' either...
...except mine. ;)
I guess the point is that opinion can be a individual's take on something that cannot be defined, but it can also be the ramblings of those who think they know more than they do. In the case of the latter, all it takes is someone who does know to prove their opinion wrong.
dexter said:
It's that people here think that their view is the only view that is right.
Sorry, I'll make it a point to express opinions I think are wrong next time.
matt., you seem to be so angry. It's just a message board, right? I on the other hand understand that both sides of an opinion can be right or wrong. It is how the subject pertains to the person holding the opinion. You probably understand that and just wanted to back talk like a little kid.
Gonch, I see what you are trying to say, even though it seems to me that you just might be saying it in order to disagree with me, which is nothing new. If something can be proven %100 true then of course it is a fact. Some things are not set in stone though. Some of my opinions include:
Q-Bot is a dishonest way that some parks make extra money.
The Beast is a great coaster.
Food is overpriced at some amusement parks.
6 hours is too far to drive for a one day amusement park visit.
My grandma shouldn't ride Son Of Beast.
Everything there can not be stated as fact. They are all opinions that I hold. If someone wants to add that those are not THEIR opinion and why, of course it wouldn't bother me (I would actually want to try and understand the opposing view and maybe learn something) , but some people have to disprove my opinion. Doing so is trying to disprove my reality and awareness, which is to me disrespectful.
And no I am not desperate for attention. I am very sorry that it seems that way. I have said before and I'll say it again, I am sensitive (which, to me, is NOT a negative thing). When someone disagrees with me about something like Q-Bot or no re-entry, I can accept it if they said so respectfully. A lot of times people cross the line though and attack me personally and then I want to reply to the attack. I am not the only one this happens to around here. I am NOT playing the "Victim" here at all. I wish for *all of us* to understand each other better.
Maybe instead of getting defensive and hurt over people taking it too far, I should simply draw it to their attention. Their lack of respect really shouldn't be MY problem.
What is going on in this topic is a kind of paradox. My opinion is that people should respect others opinions, and some people here have an opposing opinion that people should not respect others opinions because they view opinions as facts.
Yep. My mind is blown.
Dexter:
Gonch, I see what you are trying to say, even though it seems to me that you just might be saying it in order to disagree with me, which is nothing new.
Not at all. Just pointing out that in certain situations someone's opinion can be proven wrong.
I think sometimes you can take things the wrong way. (man, do I try to psychoanalyze you a lot of what? :) )
For example:
If someone wants to add that those are not THEIR opinion and why, of course it wouldn't bother me (I would actually want to try and understand the opposing view and maybe learn something) , but some people have to disprove my opinion.
At what point is backing up my opinion the same as questioning yours? Seems like someone backing up their opinion to someone with the opposite viewpoint will automatically be 'disproving' the other's opinion.
Did that make sense?
You believe your Grandma shouldn't ride SOB. Let's pretend I think she should. What am I going to say to back that up?
I'll cite your Grandmother's age and health and mental capacity and maybe the abilities of people like her. Follow up with some stats on the people who do ride SOB and finish off with an explanation of the forces someone like your Grandma can safely handle compared to the forces delivered by the ride.
Is that 'disproving' your opinion. Well, yes it is...indirectly, by re-enforcing my own opinion.
That's kind of the point of discussion (or debate as it often becomes around here). Opposing viewpoints both offer additional information as to why their opinion is the 'correct' one - not to discredit to opposing view, but to add credit to their own.
It works like the scales of justice. As one side weighs their half of the scale down with credible information to back their opinion the other side becomes lighter in comparison.
sws:
...we should start a write-in campaign for Gonch to be elected as our next president.
I gladly accept your nomination. :)
Vote Gonch In 2008!
Lord Gonchar said:
sws:
...we should start a write-in campaign for Gonch to be elected as our next president.I gladly accept your nomination.
Vote Gonch In 2008!
May I suggest a potential running mate for you. Consider Huey Lewis.... He brings a large "asset" to the ticket. ;) As your campaign treasurer, all I ask is for access to the money tree in your backyard. We'll need it for the VIP tickets at Six Flags. :)
Sorry, I'm not. At all. lol.
"It's just a message board, right?"
Yes, it is. Which is why I've never started a thread dedicated to myself that amounts to "People are mean to me and they don't agree with my opinions!" and then in the same thread wonder why people think the whole thing is a joke.
"I on the other hand understand that both sides of an opinion can be right or wrong."
I've been explaining for ages the difference between what is objective and what is subjective. Why am I the one with the problem when you apparently can't discern between the two?
"It is how the subject pertains to the person holding the opinion."
Yes, of course. Opinions are subjective. "The Beast is 300 feet tall." "The Beast is the third best coaster in the world." Both are wrong, but one is wrong as an objective measurement, and one is wrong, in my opinion. Call me crazy but I get the feeling most 4th graders could tell the difference, hence, when someone disagrees with my opinion, I don't get in a huff and make threads like this. If I did that every time Gonch or Jeff or Rob Ascough disagreed with me, the board would be filled with nothing but that.
I find it ironic that you're the one trying to explain this when you're also the one complaining that everybody's stating opinion as fact. If you really can discern between the two, what is the difference?
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