Flyfisher Tom
Well-known
Just two friendly reminders that might help, or maybe not, as I see both situations happen on our beloved forum.
1) When you disagree with the policies of a particular government, please refer to that government, regime, administration specifically, rather than using a nationalistic label. Keep in mind that in modern democracies, nearly half the people usually oppose the ruling administration, regime, government. You only get one vote, and you can't control your fellow countrymen from voting stupidly 😉
Thus using nationalistic terms unfairly tars an overbroad group. In fact, it tars and offends a group of people who might very well agree with you.
For example, when you mean the former, don't use the latter :
Bush administration (not American)
Blair government (not British)
Caligula (not Romans)
Nothing worse than being lumped in unwillingly with a group you oppose yourself.
2) When a response to your answer is ambiguous, always give it the benefit of the doubt. Read it as humor rather than sarcasm. Frequently people mean well and are trying to be funny. However, communicating online, without the benefit of tone or other contextual cues, it is frequently easy to mistake humor for sarcasm, or ambiguity for personal attack.
I still think it is a futile exercise to ever try to convert someone on issues of morality, politics or religion. But if you must do it, it would help to conduct it with civility, specificity, and a sense of humor. That should prevent most conflagrations 😛
1) When you disagree with the policies of a particular government, please refer to that government, regime, administration specifically, rather than using a nationalistic label. Keep in mind that in modern democracies, nearly half the people usually oppose the ruling administration, regime, government. You only get one vote, and you can't control your fellow countrymen from voting stupidly 😉
Thus using nationalistic terms unfairly tars an overbroad group. In fact, it tars and offends a group of people who might very well agree with you.
For example, when you mean the former, don't use the latter :
Bush administration (not American)
Blair government (not British)
Caligula (not Romans)
Nothing worse than being lumped in unwillingly with a group you oppose yourself.
2) When a response to your answer is ambiguous, always give it the benefit of the doubt. Read it as humor rather than sarcasm. Frequently people mean well and are trying to be funny. However, communicating online, without the benefit of tone or other contextual cues, it is frequently easy to mistake humor for sarcasm, or ambiguity for personal attack.
I still think it is a futile exercise to ever try to convert someone on issues of morality, politics or religion. But if you must do it, it would help to conduct it with civility, specificity, and a sense of humor. That should prevent most conflagrations 😛
