Preditors & Editors Lawsuit

Several weeks ago, in response to an opinion I made that ran contrary to the majority viewpoint at AW, I was called a troll. Now comes ROBJ, who calmly and politely, expresses his opinion about Preditors and Editors, a viewpoint that is also contrary to the majority position here, and he too, gets jumped upon. The lack of tolerance for dissenting opinions at AW continues to be troubling.

You'll also note Gordo, that those who gave him a bit of a ride were taken to task by The Boss Herself.

And, so far at least, we're letting your complaint stand.

gordo said:

Several weeks ago, in response to an opinion I made that ran contrary to the majority viewpoint at AW, I was called a troll. Now comes ROBJ, who calmly and politely, expresses his opinion about Preditors and Editors, a viewpoint that is also contrary to the majority position here, and he too, gets jumped upon. The lack of tolerance for dissenting opinions at AW continues to be troubling.

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The problem with your statement is that there was nothing polite about his comment. When someone is getting sued -- whether you agree with it or not -- it's simply not polite to say "hey, you deserve it!"

Don't get me wrong, I agree that AWers have a nasty habit of viciously defending their 'sages' oftentimes contrary to logic and even to the point of deflating their reading composition. (i.e. they'll stop reading what you are saying in favor of blindly attacking.) I've seen that first hand. Sometimes people here take their sages' words as gospel instead of opinion.

And if I thought RobJ was trying to engage in some type of discussion over whether or not David deserved the lawsuit, that would have been one thing. But that's not what he was doing. He just wanted to take the opportunity to say "you deserve it" and didn't seem to have any real interest in explaining why he felt that way.

In that regard, his comment was pretty much useless other than being a poke in the eye, and certainly, his comment was not at all polite.

DaveKuzminski said:

I had further contact with the court to learn that the 12th is a dry run day. The trial should take place on the following day. If anything further develops, I'll try to post it promptly here.

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Thanks, Dave. I had planned to go that day along with Allen Parker. I can't make it on Thursday. Hope all goes well!

Vixey

gordo said:

The lack of tolerance for dissenting opinions at AW continues to be troubling.

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Although I can speak only for the forums I moderate (this one and Ask the Agent), a distinction needs to be made here between AW and its members.

At least in the forums I moderate, AW is completely tolerant of dissent. Very, very occasionally, I will delete or edit someone else's post, but if I do, it's not because the person dissented, but rather for the sake of practical concerns such as inappropriate disclosure of personal information. And sometimes, when discussion degenerates toward flame war, I close threads--but always temporarily, and only for a few days at a time.

Otherwise, dissenting posts are not censored, edited, or deleted--no matter who they are from or what viewpoint they express. They are allowed to stand, and dissenting members are free to dissent as vigorously, and for as long, as they wish. In fact, I often give extra leeway to dissenters, because I believe very strongly that all sides need to be heard.

The membership is another matter. Just about any opinion expressed here is going to get a response, and if you put forth misinformation, or push an unpopular agenda, or disagree with the majority viewpoint (and yes, there is one), people will disagree right back at you. Sometimes that disagreement is nastier than it needs to be, or more aggressive. I've expressed concerns about this a number of times in various threads on this forum, and many times have intervened to steer discussion back on course. However, nastiness and aggression aren't unique to AW. They're a reality of online discourse. How you deal with them is up to you.

So yes, there is a tendency at AW for members to pile on. That's amply demonstrated by this thread. But AW's institutional tolerance for dissenting viewpoints is also amply demonstrated, I think.

- Victoria

gordo said:

Several weeks ago, in response to an opinion I made that ran contrary to the majority viewpoint at AW, I was called a troll. Now comes ROBJ, who calmly and politely, expresses his opinion about Preditors and Editors, a viewpoint that is also contrary to the majority position here, and he too, gets jumped upon. The lack of tolerance for dissenting opinions at AW continues to be troubling.

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If you don't like it here there are plenty of other writers forums

victoriastrauss said:

Although I can speak only for the forums I moderate (this one and Ask the Agent), a distinction needs to be made here between AW and its members.

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I mainly only frequent here and the freelancing area, but I think AW does a good job of moderating the discussions and is usually right on target in deciding when a topic needs a 'time out' because it's getting a bit too rabid.

waylander said:

If you don't like it here there are plenty of other writers forums

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...a great example of the worst possible sentiment.

gordo said:

Several weeks ago, in response to an opinion I made that ran contrary to the majority viewpoint at AW, I was called a troll. Now comes ROBJ, who calmly and politely, expresses his opinion about Preditors and Editors, a viewpoint that is also contrary to the majority position here, and he too, gets jumped upon. The lack of tolerance for dissenting opinions at AW continues to be troubling.

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A few things to keep in mind.

1. AW has thousands of members. We are not unilaterally joined in anything, including the use of the sacred serial comma.

2. AW is privately owned; the owner favors tolerance and dissent and opposing viewpoints, but asks that they be thoughtfully and courteously expressed.

3. The intolerance of individual members about opinions, dissent, and the sacred nature of the serial comma does not reflect the tolerance of the community as a whole, or the board owner.

4. If you truly feel unfairly treated you can discuss your situation with a SuperMod, or go straight to the owner, MacAllister.

5. MacCannister is a heck of a lot more tolerant than I am; I'd contemplate banning people for linguistic abuse, obsessive rectal-cranial indulgence, and opposition to the sacred serial comma.*

And gordo, if you actually posted all your words on the forum instead of hiding the majority of them in PMs, you might be taken less as a troll and more of the arse you are determined to come across as.

To Alphabeter

You chose to bring up the subject of private messages, but you neglected to mention that you were the one who initiated them. It's unfortunate that you remain unable to stop name calling. Such an obsession often benefits from therapeutic intervention.

As gordo is on my ignore list, I do not see his posts. Therefore I will not respond to any of their content, even when it is false.

This is a thread about the lawsuit(s) against P&E. gordo has proven "he" does not like to stay on point and prefers to attack other members in attempts to derail threads. I will not indulge him.

Sheesh. May I ask if Comsumer Reports has ever been sued?
Dave, where's the trial taking place? If it's nearby, I'll buy you lunch.

Thanks, Dave...I'll keep an eye on the thread to see what the latest and greatest is. I still hope to be there.

DaveKuzminski said:

The plaintiff has requested and received a continuance so the trial will not be held next week.

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The optimist in me takes this as a good sign: they feel unprepared; perhaps they're not confident that they have anything very solid to proceed with.

It all remains to be seen, though. Good luck.

Dave

As I cannot afford to support you financially, please know that you have my complete intellectual and emotionally support. I truly hope you are able to prevail.

Don't let the buggers get you down!


And Mac, I will try not to let the more baiting posts emotionally engage me. It makes my nano words meaner. Hail to the Chief of the Cool Collective.

ejket said:

The optimist in me takes this as a good sign: they feel unprepared; perhaps they're not confident that they have anything very solid to proceed with.

It all remains to be seen, though. Good luck.

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My cousin is a lawyer and he talks about delays as just being part of the game.

The last time I saw a continuance (I used to serve as a hospital witness in civil trials), the case got thrown out. Delays are extremely common, especially when one side or the other thinks they have something to gain.

My take, and best wishes toward getting this crock thrown out entirely.

Hang in there.
We'll see you come out on top.

C.bronco said:

Sheesh. May I ask if Comsumer Reports has ever been sued?

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Many times, by the Bose Corporation, Isuzu, Sharper Image, and other corporations whose products were reviewed critically.

I believe that Consumer Reports has won all the suits that have come to trial so far.