Going Political

[JPG]

+1 (from one who has very thick skin and whose dander rarely gets raised)

[RFGuy]

Communicating successfully through text is much more difficult than face to face discussions because so much nonverbal communication is lost. Often the words we hear ourselves say in our heads as we type them onto our screens are heard differently by the reader.

Well said Marc. I learned this the hard way in my career, but also I was lucky to have a VP that I worked for impress upon me that there is a difference between written communication, F2F and phone calls. He implored me to use all three depending on the situation because some situations simply can't be resolved over emails, text, etc. It really helped me in my career to think broader about how to communicate as effectively as possible depending on what the situation required. Unfortunately, when we write online, others can't see our facial expressions, tone isn't conveyed, so sometimes the intent of our message is lost. Only sharing this in the hopes that it helps others out there navigate their own communications in the world...

[JPG]

Then there are those who 'think' written caps is SHOUTING. I consider it 'emphasis'. Underlining is subtle emphasis.

BTW shouting is like this!!!

[RFGuy]

Then there are those who 'think' written caps is SHOUTING. I consider it 'emphasis'. Underlining is subtle emphasis.

BTW shouting is like this!!!

Nice...I like it.

[DLB]

I don't think there is a bright clear line separating the political from the non-political, and am not convinced that self-policing is the way to go. When the concern was raised in the COLA thread, I was unfamiliar with the Brandon thing. And thought the complaint was regarding one of several other posts with arguably political implications. As a retiree subject to real cost of living increases but not income adjustments, it is a subject of importance to me. And the government (local, state, and federal) is closely integrated with the largest expenses in my budget. In order: taxes, medical insurance, and medical. It would be impossible for me to participate in a discussion on the cost of living that was completely apolitical. Inflation in those segments is becoming unaffordable for me and people like me. That shouldn't be offensive, it's a non-partisan complaint.

- David

[HopefulSSer]

I don't think there is a bright clear line separating the political from the non-political, and am not convinced that self-policing is the way to go.

It's certainly a continuum from completely apolitical to 100% nakedly partisan. Judgement calls must be made in the grey areas. I share you concern about self-policing -- based on my experiences on other fora it doesn't work well, and once the politics genie is out of the bottle it's hard to put back. So if self-control doesn't work, that leaves either strict moderation or letting the vitriol flow. I'd hate to see the latter. Maybe the former wouldn't be necessary if the threat of it was enough to encourage self-restraint.

[Majones1]

I don't think there is a bright clear line separating the political from the non-political, and am not convinced that self-policing is the way to go. When the concern was raised in the COLA thread, I was unfamiliar with the Brandon thing. And thought the complaint was regarding one of several other posts with arguably political implications. As a retiree subject to real cost of living increases but not income adjustments, it is a subject of importance to me. And the government (local, state, and federal) is closely integrated with the largest expenses in my budget. In order: taxes, medical insurance, and medical. It would be impossible for me to participate in a discussion on the cost of living that was completely apolitical. Inflation in those segments is becoming unaffordable for me and people like me. That shouldn't be offensive, it's a non-partisan complaint.

- David

I completely agree with you, and I attempted to make clear that while the topic had political implications most of the discussion was kept respectful and avoided the slide into divisiveness. We should not avoid such topics, at times, but when someone does veer over into clearly divisive comments, I think we need to try to steer the conversation back, as gently as possible. I tried to do that without offending, but I think my comments were too oblique. I am sorry if my lack of clarity offended anyone who was making apolitical or non-political comments, that was certainly NOT my intention.

[JPG]

Let's just move on and become concerned if/when a problem arises.

[chapmanruss]

I agree with most of what has already been said. I enjoy the fact that we can have lively discussions and everyone tries to not make it personal. It is difficult sometimes to get a point across in typed words having the same "tone" as speaking them. I try not to offend with what I post and apologize to anyone if I have. Although we have not met in person I feel a friendship with members here sharing our common interest in Shopsmith's and woodworking.

As for selling tools and/or parts here I feel that is in competition with the sites sponsor Shopsmith/RLF Brands LLC which we want to see thrive as a business which also keeps this Forum going. Since there are discontinued items that need parts directing readers to finding them is helpful and not in competition with our sponsor. They do allow the Heads Up - Bargain "available" thread JPG started over 7 years ago and have even pinned it to the top for easy reference. To date it has 213 pages, 2129 replies and has had 2075575 views of which some of those replies and views are mine. From my point of view I see some latitude given but I will continue to suggest posters asking to sell here to use the sites like craigslist or ebay made for selling items to use those instead which puts them in a better market place anyway.

[algale]

Then there are those who 'think' written caps is SHOUTING. I consider it 'emphasis'. Underlining is subtle emphasis.

BTW shouting is like this!!!

There is a reason why most people think call caps is shouting and that reason is because, for better or worse, a consensus has coalesced around that meaning.

In the end, all verbal and written communication is simply a consensus that has coalesced around the meaning of words, grammar and the use of punctuation. And that consensus can change over time. If you choose to ignore the consensus in your use or words, grammar or punctuation you run a strong risk of being misunderstood.

To use a well-known example, there's an important difference between the sentences "Let's eat Grandma," and "Let's eat, Grandma."