While I am as guilty as anyone else for posting things that may have been inappropriate, including perhaps this very post, a recent thread suggests the following comments.
It has been generally observed that treating others with respect is a good thing; and I think this applies to making posts to this forum.
This is an international forum. While there are certainly more members here from the US than any other part of the world, there are still quite a large number from Europe, several from Asia, and a few from Canada and other countries and continents as well. Perhaps because the US is more heavily represented, those members from the US, myself included, sometimes forget that we are talking with people from other countries, rather than just a group of neighbors at the local pub.
Pretty much every member of this forum agrees that Alembics are exceptional instruments; however there are going to be members that have very differing opinions on practically every other issue. As tempting as it may be, treating fellow members with respect, having respect for fellow members, suggests refraining from making derogatory remarks of a political nature.
The same holds for making remarks of a sexual nature. There have been comments made that perhaps might not have been made in front of someone's mother. This is not a boy's club; it's an Alembic owner's group.
The same also holds for remarks of a religious nature, remarks of an economic nature, etc., etc.
If you feel that a discussion is getting heated, if you feel defensive, then perhaps rather than responding right away, it might be helpful to take a break, go outside, breath, and then come back with a response that's written in the context of respect.
Again, I am as guilty as anyone else. I've certainly made remarks that can be seen as supporting one side of a social issue over another. And this very post can certainly be seen as supporting certain social behaviors over others. And there may be some who may feel, perhaps rightly, that certain of my remarks may have been directed at them. So this post is directed to me as much as everyone else in the forum. In my view, treating others with respect when posting makes for a better forum.
