Now clearly if i wereto start meeting folks from here than it might lead to some awkwardness

Really ? Meeting folk from here has never caused me awkwardness, nor would I expect it to.

It’s a different type of social media but the messages and the intent of those messages can be the same. I utterly fail to comprehend how you think communication on here is to be treated less seriously than elsewhere? It’s complete nonsense. The policeman resigned because he didnt realise in time that there is no difference. He does now but it’s too late. He’s lost his job.

Do,you really think all communication is to be treated equally seriously?

Really ? Meeting folk from here has never caused me awkwardness, nor would I expect it to.

No, but it might.

STW: argue …what an excellent thread title!

nothing about being a union person, johndoh– its all about perspective….

So CM, you think because your never going to meet anyone from here, none of those people are real ?

People are real, the internetz virtual , not that hard to grasp.
But it doesn’t give one the right to act badly just cos it isn’t real.

So CM, you think because your never going to meet anyone from here, none of those people are real ?

In the mathematical sense, they are not. Of course i know they are flesh and blood. But they are not real beyond this forum as they have no effect outside of it.

you think because your never going to meet anyone from here, none of those people are real ?

It all depends what reference frame you’re using.

Aracer has it!

and perhaps, what reference frame the other users are using..?

Of course, but my stw world does not overlap with my real world, so for me it’s not real and i’m not real in their world

Yay, it’s “deprive the moderators of any free time” week!

I thought everyone was behaving quite well on my religion thread so far. 😉

Regarding the arguing thing, I know at least three MTB racers who are in proper sponsored teams, plus a couple of other very fast riders, who would all be an asset to any MTB forum, yet they won’t post on STW, or post very rarely, because of the atmosphere here.

STW’s got a bit of a reputation for banning people who type the word shobgite, while doing nothing to stop people acting like one.

If they ride bikes and don’t like arguments, just what benefit would they be?

In the mathematical sense, they are not. Of course i know they are flesh and blood. But they are not real beyond this forum as they have no effect outside of it.

So you have decided that people here have no effect.

But you may have an effect on them. You have no way of knowing.

Just like real life 😉

So you have decided that people here have no effect.

It wasn’t a decision, it’s just the way it is

But you may have an effect on them. You have no way of knowing.

This is The point we are discussing, that my actions need not affect their real world unless they choose to have it so.

ICharlieMungus – Member
Of course, but my stw world does not overlap with my real world, so for me it’s not real and i’m not real in their world

Are you a Buddhist? That sounds like a koan from a Zen Master.

It’s maths. Set theory probably.

Back in the mists of time (or GoFar as it was known) all this was about a bit of chat between meeting up in real life. Bonkers I know, but a lot of people who’ve been around here a long time have met and know a lot of people on here in real life. It’s not ‘virtual’, they’re real people, friends in fact.

Now a lot of those people have moved along, but that’s the ethos that Mark et al have tried to maintain, despite what a lot of other people think the Internet is for. Some of us were writing shit and arguing about bikes on the Internet a good (ahem) 18 years plus ago… all using our real names and actual email addresses, no hiding or pretending its just ‘virtual’.

This is real life, so grow a pair and deal with it.

so it’s fredbra’s facebook page….

shocking and sad in unequal measures. 😕

This is The point we are discussing, that my actions need not affect their real world unless they choose to have it so.

So as I said, it can have a real effect, on real people.

And you have no way of knowing what that effect is.

So it’s real life, wether you like that or not.

Yes, it can, of course it can i’ve seen that it can. The point is that it needn’t

This is real life, so grow a pair and deal with it

Oh! I see! Well, i don’t know why no one said that before. All much clearer now, thanks!.

Yes, it can, of course it can i’ve seen that it can. The point is that it needn’t

So we agree then really. People don’t have to be effected by it, but they very often are.

So the standard claim that “it’s the Internet, its not real life” isn’t really true.

I utterly fail to comprehend how you think communication on here is to be treated less seriously than elsewhere? It’s complete nonsense.

Mark, your comprehension failure doesn’t make your opinion correct. This is an Internet discussion forum where people who’ve never met can discuss things in their free time under the protection of anonymity. By definition it is therefore a lot less serious than almost any other form of communication

I can appreciate that you take it seriously as the forum is a major part of yours and you staff’s livelihoods. But you really can’t class it as a medium of serious discussion. At best, it is like being in a pub and another group the other side say something you disagree with. I’d be very surprised if you went and did something about that; most would just ignore them. And it would soon be a very empty pub if as landlord you barred everyone who said something that might be construed as offensive by a hypothetical someone.

ISTR we did the analogy about the pub landlord banning the bloke everybody thumped when a certain member got banhammered 😉

So we agree then really. People don’t have to be affected by it, but they very often are.

So the standard claim that “it’s the Internet, its not real life” isn’t really true.

Maybe not, but you can see why folks might see it differently.

It’s not real.
If you piss someone off in the pub, they punch you.
If you piss someone off on stw, they sulk and leave.
There is a big difference between talking too someone via a keyboard, and in real life.

So wether you get punched or not is your frame of reference for gauging if something is real.

Ok 😐

I am struggling to understand those who think it’s ok to type unpleasant and insulting things on their keyboards, based on the imaginary premise that “It’s not real”. If someone tells you your mama’s so fat that (insert degrading metaphor here), you’ll feel hurt, angry and upset. These feelings are real. Your feelings are real. Post bearing this in mind.

And there is a crossover – I bought a bike on here last week which turned out to be a hopeless wreck. This ‘unimportant internet interaction’ has left me less trustworthy and skint.

Do as you would be done by is good enough for me online and offline

Edit: I had to roll her in flour btw.

If someone tells you your mama’s so fat that (insert degrading metaphor here), you’ll feel hurt, angry and upset.

If you’re so easily upset by things that perhaps you shouldn’t be in real life, never mind the internet, then yes.

Or, you might just assume that either it was a crap joke and no hard feelings, or that they’re a moron, and get on with your life.

Thats the point.
Most people say things on the internet, that they wouldn’t say in real life.

Oh stop being silly. I’m no wilting flower zokes, but I’m pretty sure no-one likes being insulted, either over the ether or in real life. If you’ve never been upset by something you’ve read or seen online, I respectfully suggest you need to MTFdown.

It really is not hard to be a pleasant and respectful human being, even whilst making a point, having a humorous dig or refuting a point of view. A modicum of dignity and self respect helps. In the pub or on here – zero difference in my eyes.

Oh stop being silly

Right. I’m offended!

It really is not hard to be a pleasant and respectful human being, even whilst making a point, having a humorous dig or refuting a point of view. A modicum of dignity and self respect helps. In the pub or on here – zero difference in my eyes.

Correct. But just as with the pub, if someone says something I don’t like on here, I generally ignore it. I don’t go on some self-righteous holier-than-thou crusade to stop people saying things in the fear that somewhere, someone might be slightly upset or offended.

IIRC, general advice as a child was to ignore idiots and they’ll go away. That seems particularly pertinent advice when dealing with internet trolls. Personally I’ve got much bigger things to worry about than whether or not someone somewhere might be slightly offended by something I’ve said or heard.

And as for whether people like being insulted or not, well that comes back to it. You can choose to get all worked up about it, citing cases of psychological damage reported in the red tops, or you can choose to ignore it. The people I know who ignore these slight niggles in life seem much happier and more well rounded individuals than the few who take life far far too seriously, be it on the internet or not.

self-righteous holier-than-thou crusade to stop people saying things in the fear that somewhere, someone might be slightly upset or offended.

Honestly a bit bemused – who’s done this? Do you mean Fred? Or me? This has gone so far OT that I’m not sure what we’re discussing any more.

I fully agree that ignoring bellends is a good policy but there’s no harm in encouraging people not to be bellends.

It really is not hard to be a pleasant and respectful human being

STW often provides evidence to the contrary.

He’s feeding off this thread.

yup.. stw:argue has some new members since this thread was launched.. 😀

Personally I’ve got much bigger things to worry about than whether or not someone somewhere might be slightly offended by something I’ve said

that is very clear

that is very clear

Good.

Offence is taken, not given. I find making the decision not to be offended by many things keeps my blood pressure nice and low. That advice might be quite useful to a good few on here, handwringing or otherwise.

So if the Internet is not real, I assume it is okay to tell everyone I am going assassinate someone famous or write racist or homophobic rhetoric then?

So thats why you decided to make offensive comments about welsh people? I too am happy to be offensive but I reserve such comments for those that desrve them. Same as real life if people make their offensive views known I will challenge them over it. Its not about having decided to be offended its about having respect for yourself.