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Be kind

(107 Posts)
Jo61 Wed 15-Jan-20 06:44:29

Noticed negative comments to other members of Gransnet in one of the trending threads. I've closed my Facebook account for this very reason hoping to join a mature site. Can we please remember what we tell our children and grandchildren...... be KIND to each other. Surely we can express our thoughts without fearing backlash. I'm hoping to speak and maybe meet new people using this site, and don't want my membership to be short lived. Was it Bambi's mum that said "if you haven't anything nice to say, don't say it at all".... could be a miss quote ....... have a lovely Wednesday everyone

Rufus2 Thu 23-Jan-20 10:59:17

Mine is "Another one bites the dust"
Elegran;

Ashes to ashes
Dust to dust
If the Lord don't get you
Then the Devil must.
You were all grinning when you left the crem, so no bagpipe s farewell!?
I'm going one further than your deceased friend; as well as a music playlist I'm writing my own eulogy.
Problem will be finding someone trustworthy who won't re-edit it! hmm
OoRoo

gillybob Wed 22-Jan-20 13:15:35

An old auntie of mine had “Wild Thing” at her funeral which to this day I cannot believe she chose. She was the least “ wild thing” You could imagine . When it started playing (the familiar opening) We all just stood there open mouthed.

janeainsworth Wed 22-Jan-20 13:01:20

Mine is "Another one bites the dust"
Elegran Someone I know who is a devout Elvis fan has specified ‘Burning Love’ for when the curtains close behind his coffin shockgrin

MawB Wed 22-Jan-20 11:53:32

???

Elegran Wed 22-Jan-20 11:37:29

It's OK, Maw I think Rufus was just enjoying acting the thicko over the stick. He grasped it perfectly well in reality.

Elegran Wed 22-Jan-20 11:32:28

Rufus Mine is "Another one bites the dust" ever since I went to a funeral where that was the music to which we left the crem (all grinning). The rest of the proceedings were of the same high iconoclastic standard, The deceased had planned it all himself. Great funeral, the only thing that would have made it perfect it would have been the man himself there to share the jokes and hugs. A pity we don't hold our funerals BEFORE we leave.

Sorry about the digression.

MawB Wed 22-Jan-20 11:26:53

I must say I'm worried about your logic lately! What thought process brought "monster" into our discussion?
Rufus2
I have always found Elegran’s posts articulate, well thought-out and logical.
Hard to get the “wrong end of the stick” when a poster takes care to express themselves as clearly and concisely.

Rufus2 Wed 22-Jan-20 10:52:46

I don't think you are a monster (and you don't think I am, do you?)
Not yet.
I must say I'm worried about your logic lately! What thought process brought "monster" into our discussion?
"Bully" is the flavour of the month and I can handle that, but I think even 3rd parties who monitor everything I post would be hard pressed to find any evidence, either of me to you or vice-versa!
Coincidentally my background computer music ( for calming therapy smile) is playing "That's Life" How apt!
OoRoo

Rufus2 Wed 22-Jan-20 10:37:04

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

Corollary; It is the mark of an uneducated mind to be able to entertain a thought without understanding it!! hmm
OoRoo

Elegran Tue 21-Jan-20 16:48:35

In a book I am currently reading, someone has just quoted Aristotle, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Rufus2 Tue 21-Jan-20 10:58:50

That said, I believe that some people are a bit too sensitive to be on a forum where some will disagree with you
Rosenoir There's a wise saying. "When everyone thinks alike, no-one thinks at all!" Think about it! grin
OoRoo

Elegran Mon 20-Jan-20 17:54:21

Grasping the wrong end of the stick is not understanding what the poster said Whether you understand it or not has no connection with whether it is right or wrong.

janeainsworth Mon 20-Jan-20 12:14:39

But what the poster thinks is right may not necessarily be right, so right and wrong can be irrelevant!

Surely the grasping of the right or wrong end of the metaphorical stick is about correctly interpreting what the poster means & is intending to convey, not whether it is factually correct.
If you think someone has posted something factually incorrect and pointed that out, it doesn’t mean you have grasped the wrong end of the stick.
(Or that you are rude, spiteful, unkind, or any of the other epithets that are hurled at posters who dare to disagree with someone).

rosenoir Mon 20-Jan-20 12:00:30

I think some people like to be controversial for attention, posts then focus on that person instead of the original posters subject.

I have seen posts where people are almost proud they have been pulled up by the moderators or had a comment deleted, as with children it is best to ignore bad behavior .

That said, I believe that some people are a bit too sensitive to be on a forum where some will disagree with you.

Elegran Mon 20-Jan-20 11:33:38

So you can disagree and argue, politely. That doesn't make either of you into a monster. You are having a nice time splitting a few hairs and disagreeing with me here, Rufus, but I don't think you are a monster (and you don't think I am, do you?)

Having said that, it is possible that your grasp of any particular stick is less than perfect, and your memories of any conflicts are just as retentive as those whose memory you think is too sharp by half. Same with any poster who carries a grievance into other conversations. That last sentence, by the way, was NOT meant to apply personally to anyone at all!

Rufus2 Mon 20-Jan-20 10:41:48

The right end of the stick, Rufus is the end that the poster thinks they have made clear is right
Elegran But what the poster thinks is right may not necessarily be right, so right and wrong can be irrelevant! hmm\

Elegran Sun 19-Jan-20 16:33:55

The right end of the stick, Rufus is the end that the poster thinks they have made clear is right. The wrong end is the one that readers grab hold of by mistake and think that they were meant to have - and then reply in anger about it. When we can't see or hear the non-verbal clues that would help to understand the spoken word, it is easy to make mistakes in interpreting a written post.

I usually attempt to write my posts accurately, so that what I mean and what people read are the same, but at times I am amazed at what someone can think I meant.

Daisymae Sun 19-Jan-20 12:16:36

Well it does seem as if the original OP has left the building. Was that the intention??

Rufus2 Sun 19-Jan-20 11:30:28

someone is not shy about saying so
Elegran Why would any one bother to say that without it being very obvious that it's directed to a newcomer?
There seems to be a fair bit of navel-gazing going on here; think I'll have to enroll in an on-line course in psycho-analysis to understand what's making some people tick! grin
Btw; you never answered my question about the stick! wink
OoRoo

Elegran Sun 19-Jan-20 10:57:03

Yes, new posters should go ahead and post. They may find, for instance, that yesterday everyone else had discussed their subject to death and someone is not shy about saying so. Just say "Oh, I wasn't here then, I missed it!" and don't assume that their answer is personally attacking you.

And after replying with a helpful answer to a post about (say) an 11 year-old grandson who insists on wearing a pink onesie to school, where the uniform is strictly black shoes and expensive grey trousers they may find (WILL find! in this case, it is a familiar theme) that the poster is a well-known prankster who starts several threads a year with (fake) school uniform problems, and that the other answers on that thread vary from a dismissive "Oh God not again!" to frivolous suggestions like apprenticing him to Danny LaRue.

They are not being cruel to an agonising granny - they have been round it before and they know not to "feed the beast". This is why people sometimes advise that new posters "settle in".

When you walk into a real-life room full of people (strangers to you) chatting, you DON'T know what has just been said before you enter, and you DON'T know the back stories of the comments they are making. Saying little and listening a lot for a day or two gives you a chance to catch up.

love0c Sun 19-Jan-20 08:47:51

Jo61 Yes there are some quite aggressive posters on GN as there are on other sites. No doubt they will be aggressive in real life too. Don't worry too much. It is they who have the problem. To be constantly aggressive surely means you are not really happy? smile

rafichagran Sat 18-Jan-20 23:41:20

The forum is for everyone, it's not about old posters or new posters.
If a new poster wants to post something let them do it they do not have to find their feet as said upthread by a poster who has been on Gransnet longer.

NanKate Sat 18-Jan-20 19:58:17

Yes I have witnessed bullying of 3 GN members but I believe the only people who can complain to H Q are those involved directly with the bullying. So all I can do is support those being bullied by refuting nasty untruthful comments. Hope that makes sense.

grannymy Sat 18-Jan-20 15:31:07

I have already left another site because of the nastiness. I hope to find a new home here with nice people. Okay, we can all have our opinions. Just don't try to push them down other people's throats in an unkind way.

Grammaretto Sat 18-Jan-20 15:27:20

We do not, thank goodness janea, but I am saying is what can begin as amusing banter can easily become really hurtful.

But there is self regulation on GN so that people can ask for offensive posts to be removed.

I'm not saying it should be saccharine and syrupy sweet all the time but a little kindness and thoughtfulness goes far.