Keeping cool while boondocking
We leave for a 2 week trip on Friday. Our first night we are boondocking in a Cabela's parking lot. The problem is that it's going to be warm...and there are 13 of us in a TT. I keep thinking that ...
Forum Discussion
This thread presents a perfect opportunity to begin a group-wide "gut check" -- what are we trying to accomplish by participating in this forum?
Gosh, do we really want to discourage folks from posting questions unless they are brilliantly well-worded? Do we want to attack folks who don't follow our advice or whose lifestyles are different from our own? Those are not good strategies for promoting a full and free discussion of interesting issues, which is at the heart of this forum. (Isn't it??)
When I was young (a long, long time ago), being rude or unkind to other people was something to be ashamed of. Now, it is clear that incivility has become fashionable. I understand that it is fun to make fun of other people (that's why it is called "making fun," I guess), but when did this become permissible in a public setting?
Yes, we can say to each other, "Just sit there and take it, ignore it, turn the other cheek," and that works on an ad hoc basis. But how much more pleasant it would be if the tone were to change into something more cooperative and less confrontational. I'm not against good-humored ribbing or kidding. But that is not what I am talking about, and the difference is pretty obvious.
I can tell you, as a long-time and active participant in this forum, that things have changed over the last decade or more. The prevailing spirit was "let's see what we can do to help each other," taking advantage of the collective wisdom of the participants.
Now, at least for some people, it has become "let's see how I can harass or humiliate the other posters." Why? Why? I just do not get it.
Not a very satisfying end to a Sunday sermon, but it'll have to do for now.
Gosh, do we really want to discourage folks from posting questions unless they are brilliantly well-worded? Do we want to attack folks who don't follow our advice or whose lifestyles are different from our own? Those are not good strategies for promoting a full and free discussion of interesting issues, which is at the heart of this forum. (Isn't it??)
When I was young (a long, long time ago), being rude or unkind to other people was something to be ashamed of. Now, it is clear that incivility has become fashionable. I understand that it is fun to make fun of other people (that's why it is called "making fun," I guess), but when did this become permissible in a public setting?
Yes, we can say to each other, "Just sit there and take it, ignore it, turn the other cheek," and that works on an ad hoc basis. But how much more pleasant it would be if the tone were to change into something more cooperative and less confrontational. I'm not against good-humored ribbing or kidding. But that is not what I am talking about, and the difference is pretty obvious.
I can tell you, as a long-time and active participant in this forum, that things have changed over the last decade or more. The prevailing spirit was "let's see what we can do to help each other," taking advantage of the collective wisdom of the participants.
Now, at least for some people, it has become "let's see how I can harass or humiliate the other posters." Why? Why? I just do not get it.
Not a very satisfying end to a Sunday sermon, but it'll have to do for now.
