Bowling Guy suggested I put up the 'rules' here again, which I'll do in the next couple of days, but I thought I'd say a couple of things about arguments first.
Personally, I like debates on here. Especially, since we are talking baseball, a lot of the time there is no right or wrong answer but there are opinions. Sometimes opinions have studies and facts behind them. Sometimes it's just feeling. Here, it is baseball not nuclear physics, so having the wrong opinion won't turn the surrounding area into a radioactive wasteland. Maybe remember that if you think someone is wrong. No one here will die of a wrong opinion.
A few ideas:
- Remember not to make the disagreement personal. Smart folks can disagree. I think Hugo is one of the smartest guys I know, but I really don't understand his devotion to Bryan Adams. So, while I might point out that, in this case, he is a little tone deaf, it doesn't mean that I think he is less than brilliant about other subjects. Just because you think someone is wrong about something, doesn't mean that they aren't just as smart as you are. Odds are you have been wrong a couple of times in your life.
- Try not to take it personally if someone disagrees with you. If you post an opinion, expect someone to disagree, it is part of posting. It would be kind of boring here if everyone agreed all the time. It is a public forum, if moderated, part of writing for the public is criticism, it you can't take having your opinions challenged, this might not be the place for you.
- Try not to read a 'tone' into someone's comment. One time here, I said something, that I thought was fairly innocuous and a person said 'I don't like the tone'. Well, there was no tone, I typed. Try not to read more meaning into things than what is written.
- Remember that a lot of us are friends on here and I, and I'm sure others, tend to, good-naturedly, tease my friends. Don't take offense for others and if we tease you, try to roll with it.
- Obviously, stay away from insults. "You are so stupid" doesn't really lead to high level debate. It you are joking, make sure it reads like is a joke.
- If you are getting upset because of a debate with someone on here, maybe back away for a moment. I know this is tough, but often allowing yourself to cool off, and then going back and re-reading, you might find it isn't as bad as you thought.
- Oh, and don't insult lawyers....you start a rumor that some lawyer likes, as a totally hypothetical example, Bryan Adams, he might sue you.