I'm going to try very hard to make this message not sound preachy because that is not my goal.
However, I noticed that the thread on the Brandon Lee Showcase started to become about expressing opinons & discussion & what not, and I wanted to
share some thoughts- first here are some quotes, just to give people an idea of what I'm referring to
Say what you like, it's my opinion and I don't like it.
yo graeme, no offence but it's just easy to to discuss things you like discussing and avoid those that you don't like discussing or don't care about. your doing here is unnecessary, really.
I have no problem discussing a difference in taste with another person. Personally, I think that is one of the best ways to learn- through discussion & difference of opinion.
Everyone disagrees from time to time but it's common knowledge (and almost a universal practice) that if you want to speak against the curve in any setting you need to put much more thought into your words to smooth the transition from the common idea to your opposing idea. Some people hate all opinions other than their own, but there are plenty of rational people here who won't get on your case for that as long as you're not a dick about it.
a lot of people are obsessed with their own opinions, and they always think that they are right. Human nature, I think we're all a bit like that.
But if somebody posts a response going against the trend, then...
There are many good thoughts here & I wanted to share my thoughts about discussions & opinions and hear what everyone else has to say about them. First off, let me just clear that I have no authority to control any of the content of this board nor do I intend to tell people what they can & cannot say.
I think Shaun touched on a very important point, which is courtesy & respect- if you're not a dick when you present your opinion, then you usually won't have people jump down your throat. Sometimes, no matter how nice you are, there will always be someone to reply with a rude opinion full of comments that are uncalled for, but I don't let those people bother me.
For some reason, I've gotten a small sense from some people's posts on this topic (and maybe I'm wrong & completely off the map) that they're not comfortable with disagreement or other people criticizing their opinion. I know in the past, some folks have felt as though everyone was against them or people were all over them with negativity, etc. This is the main thing that I want to touch on- if you share your opinion, you have to expect that not everyone who responds will agree with you & you have to be prepared for that. Not to put words in his mouth, but I think that is why Beat TG said
yo graeme, no offence but it's just easy to to discuss things you like discussing and avoid those that you don't like discussing or don't care about.
I don't think that one should not share their opinion because they disagree BUT I will admit that it often is easier to just not contribute to a subject that you feel alone on. If you do contribute to something going against the grain, then often I think you have to be prepared for a big backlash from a lot of people. And if I don't feel like dealing with the drama of heated arguments, then I won't post.
What's really been on my mind lately, is something Graeme said:
But if somebody posts a response going against the trend, then...
And I don't mean to pick on Graeme- this is something I've heard from many people in other posts, private conversations, etc. And it is true, often times if you express your opinion & it's not popular, you get slammed by everybody, not always in a respectful manner. However, I think you have to come to expect that to some degree. If I go on a Jackie Chan board & say something like "Jackie Chan's English sucks" I have to expect that not too many people will share my opinion. And although it's easy to often feel like "Well, I have the right to my opinion, so don't yell at me so much" that doesn't mean that those other 100 Jackie Chan fans aren't able to share their disagreeing opinion. Just recently, I wrote a post about a certain move that I felt people were doing improperly & in writing that post, I expected a huge backlash from many people & had to be aware of what sort of a reaction my writing could cause. I think if I was REALLY worried about what people were gonna say in response, then I shouldn't have written that post & I should have kept my thoughts to myself. It's either that or grow some tough skin, know that not everyone will agree, and pretty much guarantee that no matter what I say, someone will completely disagree with me & that's ok.
Sorry, this came out way too long & preachy, which is often not what I like to do. I am curious if it made any sense & what other people's reactions are to my words & this subject on a whole.
