The Ricochet I Love

 

As an official Ricochet Moderator,™ some days I despair for the grand experiment in civil, right-wing community building that is Ricochet. So much of my energy on the site is spent dealing with sniping and griping that I start to wonder if anyone actually wants to have a conversation.

Too many times it feels like members are here to repeat the same arguments like a Groundhog Day from Hell, burn acres of strawmen, gloat over the fellow Ricochetti they consider their enemies, and bring up every less-than-complimentary thing anyone has ever said to them as justification for their own bad behavior, like a half of a couple that wants a divorce but wants to force the other party to be the one who actually files. Two things have happened in the last few days though that have rekindled hope that this community can actually work as intended.

The first is so simple it should hardly need to be mentioned. Brian Watt created a post on “ecosexuality.” iWe put up a disagreeing post that mentioned that it was in reaction to Brian’s. iWe didn’t hijack the thread to make himself the center of conversation; Brian didn’t complain about being embarrassed by having a fellow member disagree with him. It’s a beautiful model of how Ricochet as a good faith conversation should work.

The second is also a wonderful example of mature behavior. In GrannyDude’s recent post “The Mystery of Male Armies: Redux,” there was a flap over language. One party attempted to make a joke which due to the nature of text fell flat, and the recipient felt offended. The recipient admitted to hurt feelings and requested an apology, which was then given and accepted. Neither party went off-thread to complain about “that insulting jerk” or “that humorless scold.” Neither used knowledge of the other’s personal life to exacerbate the fight or poison the possibility of reconciliation. Neither appear to be holding a grudge that will be remembered for months or years. The thread has returned to being a pleasant conversation.

I realize that not every problem can be solved so easily, that we all have sore spots and wounds from our lives in general and previous conversations on Ricochet. I know that we all have those positions on which no compromise is able to be made. But civility can exist among adults who work to create it, and I’m happy that we still have many of those people at Ricochet.

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  1. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Curt North (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    Curt North (View Comment):
    Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining.

    I’ve kept silent, but this comment was uncalled for, @curtnorth. Too many of the disgruntled group keep looking for gotcha moments and I, for one, am tired of them. To call out someone because he or she is not precisely right is just plain silly and boring. And your comment is disgusting about peeing. Can we all act like grownups, assume people are here in the best interests of the site, not accuse each other at every little point that you think is an offense, and move on? For example, Curt, you could have said, ” I disagree with your assessment, particularly since Mad Dogs are both anti-Trump. And we disagree regarding Bethany.” FWIW, I think @blueyeti‘s assessment of Bethany and Jon are accurate.

    If you look back at my comments, I think we’ve been having a pretty productive discussion, I said that myself in this thread and I also I let my fellow HW’s know that they ought to read this comments thread, that the mods were being very open and it was a good back and forth. I’m hardly “calling someone out” for not being precisely right, the examples he gave weren’t really true, as he even admitted. It’s all part of a healthy debate, I thought.

    The pee phrase is a very old and well used funny analogy here in the mid-west, worthy of a chuckle, not “disgust”.

    Never heard it in CA. My hubby’s from KY. He says it’s like, don’t let your mongrel mouth override your pedigree . . .

    • #121
  2. CB Toder aka Mama Toad Member
    CB Toder aka Mama Toad
    @CBToderakaMamaToad

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    Never heard it in CA. My hubby’s from KY. He says it’s like, don’t let your mongrel mouth override your pedigree . . .

    As I said in my previous comment above (#113, ), I think the pungent expression is more earthy homespun wisdom than “disgusting.”

    Also, I stated that “it’s a fairly well-known and commonly used metaphor for asking someone to stop saying things the listener does not believe to be true.”

    I’m not sure what the mongrel mouth thing is in reference to, but it sounds like you are saying that the commenter’s comments are not classy.

    I think you over-reacted, and did not see the Member’s good faith when you were so disgusted.

    I hope this is an example of two Members interacting, one saying something meant to be humorous and jocose, the other becoming offended, and the explanation being made that the offense was completely unintentional, and then the two parties resolving their problem, kind of just like me and the other person in the OP. 

    Right?

    • #122
  3. Curt North Inactive
    Curt North
    @CurtNorth

    Works for me :)

    • #123
  4. SkipSul Inactive
    SkipSul
    @skipsul

    Spin (View Comment):

    This is why I created and use #MRGA: Mke Ricochet Great Again.

    I bestow it upon this most, even though you always disagree with me.

    #MRGA!

    Now, I call upon the PTB to implement hashtags and emojis.

    We did have emojis briefly, and they were not well received.  We had issues where some members were using them in some unfortunate ways.

    • #124
  5. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    SkipSul (View Comment):
    We did have emojis briefly, and they were not well received. We had issues where some members were using them in some unfortunate ways.

    You mean, like, perverted?

    • #125
  6. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Works for me as well. Curt and I usually get along fine and I want to keep it that way.

    • #126
  7. CB Toder aka Mama Toad Member
    CB Toder aka Mama Toad
    @CBToderakaMamaToad

    (In the reference in the OP, the joker and I the scold both said sorry and accepted. Just in case it wasn’t clear to each other. Peace!)

    • #127
  8. SkipSul Inactive
    SkipSul
    @skipsul

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    SkipSul (View Comment):
    We did have emojis briefly, and they were not well received. We had issues where some members were using them in some unfortunate ways.

    You mean, like, perverted?

    No, more that they would be used in lieu of making an actual comment, just as a means of deriding others.

    • #128
  9. Midget Faded Rattlesnake Member
    Midget Faded Rattlesnake
    @Midge

    SkipSul (View Comment):

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    SkipSul (View Comment):
    We did have emojis briefly, and they were not well received. We had issues where some members were using them in some unfortunate ways.

    You mean, like, perverted?

    No, more that they would be used in lieu of making an actual comment, just as a means of deriding others.

    That said, eggplant emojis…

    • #129
  10. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    SkipSul (View Comment):

    Spin (View Comment):

    This is why I created and use #MRGA: Mke Ricochet Great Again.

    I bestow it upon this most, even though you always disagree with me.

    #MRGA!

    Now, I call upon the PTB to implement hashtags and emojis.

    We did have emojis briefly, and they were not well received. We had issues where some members were using them in some unfortunate ways.

    Jerks.  

    • #130
  11. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    SkipSul (View Comment):

    Randy Webster (View Comment):

    SkipSul (View Comment):
    We did have emojis briefly, and they were not well received. We had issues where some members were using them in some unfortunate ways.

    You mean, like, perverted?

    No, more that they would be used in lieu of making an actual comment, just as a means of deriding others.

    I remember once in Junior High band we had a substitute teacher.  A handful of kids really gave her a hard time.  It wasn’t everyone, but it was enough that the sub didn’t (or wouldn’t) take the names of the kids doing it.  The next day, the real teacher came in, gave us a talking to, then made everyone run 30 laps around the gym.  I remember it really made me mad.  Mad at the kids, and mostly mad at the teacher for punishing everyone for the actions of a few.  I hated it then, and I hate it now.  

    • #131
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