Arguments on the forum

I don't know about others, but I'm getting a little concerned that the arguments will put off new members.

Quite often people join and then disappear quite quickly.

I've been involved in these myself on occasion, so I'm not innocent.

However, maybe the mods could create a section where these potentially contentious threads could be placed that had a heading like NSFW (a new one on me but it seems to be well known).

If a seemingly innocuous thread then turns into a constant argument, perhaps it could be moved to there.

It's sometimes interraction between older males and older females (or non binary etc) and comes down to very different relationship/*ex points of view but can of course stem from any subject and any set of contributors.

I think it happens more often than it once did, and I've not been here a year yet.

Parents
  • I have a proposal. I'd like the communities opinion on it.

  • Jeez, Peter. Do you even understand the impact of bringing up words like sexual abuse? I was sexually abused as a child. It's disgusting to casually throw terms like this about like it's just an annoyance. Show some understanding of what these terms actually mean to people and the impact it has on our lives. 

  • I'm not minimising your experience. You have my heartfelt sympathies. But I don't think strangers should be accusing each other of sex crimes in the open in this forum. I'm not saying it can't be discussed hypothetically or we can't talk about our personal experiences but I think basically some of the accusations that have been flying around in post recently have been liable. I'm not making light of it. the exact opposite.

  • Let’s be blunt now arguing on the Internet is all I have. I don’t have a social life anymore they took that away from me. The people I would sit about with talking about micro Nations and genetic engineering and sci-fi and electrified bras … I no longer have those conversations. I don’t sleep anymore. Not really. I wear myself out on the sofa watching Netflix then drag myself up to bed in the wee hours of the morning. If I’m not arguing with you guys i’ll probably end up arguing with myself or just watching the same tired show all over again.

    by all means go get some sleep.

  • Peter I'm really trying to be generous and give you the benefit of the doubt, despite our many differences and disagreements, but you don't half make it difficult.
    I've tried my best here to help re-foster a sense of community peace, and I really don't think you'd hold the same view if you had been in Ottilies shoes, please try to see it from the other's perspective too because not all trauma is equal, and it isn't a competition. That's all I can say at this point and I can't be doing this all night, so I'm out.

    @Ottilie , I really hope this doesn't put a dampener on the rest of your night/week, etc. Please reach out if you ever want to talk.

  • I’m just trying to explain that I find it really difficult not to argue against any case for censorship regardless of the circumstance.

    I truly wish we had something closer to the United States first Amendment. which of course doesn’t protect all speech but as a general rule means that you can‘t censure  speech unless you can demonstrate tangible harm like yelling fire in a crowded room. It’s one of the things I would most like to see introduced into the British legal system.

  • I know this may be difficult for you to understand but I find censorship triggering. I’m not joking I’ve literally had sleepless nights over it. Articles in newspapers about how some person was lampooned or pilloried or persecuted for something they said but was from their point of you completely reasonable. In the name of sensitivity many bad laws have been made and people have fallen foul of these bad laws, it keeps me up at night sometimes.

    do you know how many people were stressed over Brexit? I feel the same way when I read articles about how this or that person should be penalised for saying something insensitive.

  • Peter I'm not saying you've no right to an opinion any more than I'd say you've no right to a bum-hole, (I think you are wrong regarding certain topics being a free for all but I'm not interested in entertaining dystopian ideas of thought crime) but pls leave it alone with Ottilie because that kind of PTSD is a literal waking hell, so if you want to be sensitive be aware your opinion doesn't actually have to be shared every time the subject comes up, I think you like others, including me try to relate from a personal perspective which comes very naturally to us as autistic people, but we need to learn we aren't the centre of everything and we don't have to be, especially because you at least have the privilege of leaving this topic here when you log off tonight and people like Ottilie don't. That specific trauma is not something you  would wish on your worst enemy it follows you everywhere, nowhere is ever truly safe, not even your own head as you lay in bed at night, so please just heed Ottilies's words and let this be at least as safe a space as it can be. Other people need equal access to this space too for support which they can't do if it is littered with a minefield of carelessly laid triggers.

  • And certainly not telling you how you should feel. And I certainly don’t want to stop you expressing yourself or having your say or explaining your views. 
    if you don’t like the way I phrased it before. instead of no one having the right to say how the conversation must go. shall we say instead nobody has the right to say how it cannot go. nobody not even on the grounds of sensitivity has the right to say this topic cannot be discussed particularly not when it’s relevant.

    I appreciate it may not be obvious but this thread is very much a follow on from previous threads in which people being accused of sexual abuse was a major feature. There is really no roundabout way of addressing that adequately it has to be done directly.

  • Don't worry bees. I don't find you insensitive about these things. You don't need to stress about it. 

  • Ok Peter. I can take the same attitude. Your experiences don't give you a license to dictate how the conversation goes. But the point is that YOU ARE TRYING TO DICTATE HOW THE CONVERSATION GOES. You literally turned Debbie's post in to poll about that. Flippin' heck. You brought up sexual abuse without any sensitivity. You keep explaining to me how I should be/feel/express my own experiences and issues. Why don't you just shut up about it? What's your problem? And before you go on to tell me that I have a problem because I take issue with you telling me how to be, seriously just have some self reflection and stop telling sexual abuse survivors how they should be, act and feel. Ok? Do you understand? 

  • I mean I don’t wanna make anyone’s life harder if they find topics difficult. But I do worry sometimes within the clamour to try and be sensitive you do exactly what you say we’re trying not to do, which is to shush people. If nothing else getting threads locked because everyone is accusing everybody else of everything under the Sun, is effectively shushing people.

  • Nobody is trying to shush you or dictate you. We are a community and all our voices matter. It's a great opportunity to learn how to debate in a sensitive way about such triggering topics. I think it's useful to learn this not only for the sake of other members in the forum but for me in my personal life too. 

  • You haven't Ree. Don't worry. 

  • I’m sorry you seem genuinely upset and I didn’t want to upset you. But what happened doesn’t  give you A license to dictate how other people converse or who is speaking seriously or not speaking seriously or what is two lights what’s respectful what’s not respectful. i’m sorry but you cannot be the arbiter of these things. 

    no one has to buy their way into serious conversations by having had awful life experiences. we all have something to say and something to share and our opinions are as strong as the arguments behind them. Your personal experience is uniquely yours I can’t tell you what it should or shouldn’t be, but it doesn’t give you an exclusive license to dictate how the conversation around these topics go.

  • "Uncomfortable". Whatever. When you've had your body and mind violated then come back and tell me about being made "uncomfortable". I've had more uncomfortableness than you can comprehend. You're the one taking an actual poll because you're upset by some random strangers on the internet arguing with you. Quit turning this in to Peter being persecuted. Your words are insensitive. Sexual abuse, rape and harassment are not topics for people that haven't experienced them to lightly discuss. If you want to discuss them then you'd better put aside your "willingness" and telling me how the conversation should be. You aren't the expert here. You don't get to say how or what the conversation should be. 

Reply
  • "Uncomfortable". Whatever. When you've had your body and mind violated then come back and tell me about being made "uncomfortable". I've had more uncomfortableness than you can comprehend. You're the one taking an actual poll because you're upset by some random strangers on the internet arguing with you. Quit turning this in to Peter being persecuted. Your words are insensitive. Sexual abuse, rape and harassment are not topics for people that haven't experienced them to lightly discuss. If you want to discuss them then you'd better put aside your "willingness" and telling me how the conversation should be. You aren't the expert here. You don't get to say how or what the conversation should be. 

Children
  • Let’s be blunt now arguing on the Internet is all I have. I don’t have a social life anymore they took that away from me. The people I would sit about with talking about micro Nations and genetic engineering and sci-fi and electrified bras … I no longer have those conversations. I don’t sleep anymore. Not really. I wear myself out on the sofa watching Netflix then drag myself up to bed in the wee hours of the morning. If I’m not arguing with you guys i’ll probably end up arguing with myself or just watching the same tired show all over again.

    by all means go get some sleep.

  • Peter I'm really trying to be generous and give you the benefit of the doubt, despite our many differences and disagreements, but you don't half make it difficult.
    I've tried my best here to help re-foster a sense of community peace, and I really don't think you'd hold the same view if you had been in Ottilies shoes, please try to see it from the other's perspective too because not all trauma is equal, and it isn't a competition. That's all I can say at this point and I can't be doing this all night, so I'm out.

    @Ottilie , I really hope this doesn't put a dampener on the rest of your night/week, etc. Please reach out if you ever want to talk.

  • I’m just trying to explain that I find it really difficult not to argue against any case for censorship regardless of the circumstance.

    I truly wish we had something closer to the United States first Amendment. which of course doesn’t protect all speech but as a general rule means that you can‘t censure  speech unless you can demonstrate tangible harm like yelling fire in a crowded room. It’s one of the things I would most like to see introduced into the British legal system.

  • I know this may be difficult for you to understand but I find censorship triggering. I’m not joking I’ve literally had sleepless nights over it. Articles in newspapers about how some person was lampooned or pilloried or persecuted for something they said but was from their point of you completely reasonable. In the name of sensitivity many bad laws have been made and people have fallen foul of these bad laws, it keeps me up at night sometimes.

    do you know how many people were stressed over Brexit? I feel the same way when I read articles about how this or that person should be penalised for saying something insensitive.

  • Peter I'm not saying you've no right to an opinion any more than I'd say you've no right to a bum-hole, (I think you are wrong regarding certain topics being a free for all but I'm not interested in entertaining dystopian ideas of thought crime) but pls leave it alone with Ottilie because that kind of PTSD is a literal waking hell, so if you want to be sensitive be aware your opinion doesn't actually have to be shared every time the subject comes up, I think you like others, including me try to relate from a personal perspective which comes very naturally to us as autistic people, but we need to learn we aren't the centre of everything and we don't have to be, especially because you at least have the privilege of leaving this topic here when you log off tonight and people like Ottilie don't. That specific trauma is not something you  would wish on your worst enemy it follows you everywhere, nowhere is ever truly safe, not even your own head as you lay in bed at night, so please just heed Ottilies's words and let this be at least as safe a space as it can be. Other people need equal access to this space too for support which they can't do if it is littered with a minefield of carelessly laid triggers.

  • And certainly not telling you how you should feel. And I certainly don’t want to stop you expressing yourself or having your say or explaining your views. 
    if you don’t like the way I phrased it before. instead of no one having the right to say how the conversation must go. shall we say instead nobody has the right to say how it cannot go. nobody not even on the grounds of sensitivity has the right to say this topic cannot be discussed particularly not when it’s relevant.

    I appreciate it may not be obvious but this thread is very much a follow on from previous threads in which people being accused of sexual abuse was a major feature. There is really no roundabout way of addressing that adequately it has to be done directly.

  • Ok Peter. I can take the same attitude. Your experiences don't give you a license to dictate how the conversation goes. But the point is that YOU ARE TRYING TO DICTATE HOW THE CONVERSATION GOES. You literally turned Debbie's post in to poll about that. Flippin' heck. You brought up sexual abuse without any sensitivity. You keep explaining to me how I should be/feel/express my own experiences and issues. Why don't you just shut up about it? What's your problem? And before you go on to tell me that I have a problem because I take issue with you telling me how to be, seriously just have some self reflection and stop telling sexual abuse survivors how they should be, act and feel. Ok? Do you understand? 

  • I mean I don’t wanna make anyone’s life harder if they find topics difficult. But I do worry sometimes within the clamour to try and be sensitive you do exactly what you say we’re trying not to do, which is to shush people. If nothing else getting threads locked because everyone is accusing everybody else of everything under the Sun, is effectively shushing people.

  • Nobody is trying to shush you or dictate you. We are a community and all our voices matter. It's a great opportunity to learn how to debate in a sensitive way about such triggering topics. I think it's useful to learn this not only for the sake of other members in the forum but for me in my personal life too. 

  • I’m sorry you seem genuinely upset and I didn’t want to upset you. But what happened doesn’t  give you A license to dictate how other people converse or who is speaking seriously or not speaking seriously or what is two lights what’s respectful what’s not respectful. i’m sorry but you cannot be the arbiter of these things. 

    no one has to buy their way into serious conversations by having had awful life experiences. we all have something to say and something to share and our opinions are as strong as the arguments behind them. Your personal experience is uniquely yours I can’t tell you what it should or shouldn’t be, but it doesn’t give you an exclusive license to dictate how the conversation around these topics go.