How often do you self censor?

[KevinM]

Interesting question. I've found that if I comment or respond to Qs succinctly I will occasionally get negative feedback from posters who want a softer, friendlier reply. They think I'm coming off as " school masterish," I guess. I sometimes follow up with a comment that I don't intend to be an absolutist. I'm just stating an opinion in the conversation, like everyone else, but I'm trying for clarity in that opinion. No offense intended. Often that wins an ameliorative reply. I suppose there's a balance between clarity and friendliness, which I sometimes run afoul of. I once lost my posting privileges on a well-known automobile enthusiast board, because I maintained that cars aren't appliances, but they certainly are machines, and so should be judged on practical matters, not only style and appearance. This contradicted a recurring mantra on the board which was, "A car is NOT an appliance." Oh, my, no. In this case I hadn't insulted anyone, but I wasn't sufficiently respectful of the group's accepted dogma. Maybe they thought I was trolling. On some boards, posters are striving to build a rep for themselves, which isn't the case here. I think.

 

[Anonymous]

'Troll' is perhaps the most overused ad hom on the internet. Most times it means 'I disagree with you but don't have the brains to think out a response.'

While some trolling can be nasty, a lot of it is clever stuff, particularly when it mocks entrenched dogma or pretensions.

 

[user 3604]

I come to these sites to relax and glean knowledge about pipes and other stuff, to have some friendly chatter and meet new people. I deal with conflict for a living so I choose just to pass on discussions that are getting at all heated. I don't want to spend the time or energy in too much debate. I've probably mellowed some in the last 5-10 years too!!

 

[DoverPipes]

I guess the OP has "Self Censored" himself......
He is now showing as a "Guest". Damn, that was quick........ :scratch: