You do not have to look hard to see I have no halo, and my biases toward the ALP and the union movement are on clear display.
But just sometimes I feel we get too involved in our own side of an argument.
Some subjects are tabo, just not worth the effort, if you disagree with the threads direction you will find insults and it is just not worth getting involved.
Not a car park, not a lets gang up on any one but can we talk about the issue?
All ideas do have value, it is true, I am no PC giant much of the web is a mystery to me, I learn every day I live.
But is it not true some amount of bullying takes place on the web?
We do not see much of it here but why does it happen at all?
Let us look at why we value , or some of us do, only our view, why we feel insults are a debating tool.
I hope my posts are what I truly think, and that if I disagree with my party or movement I will say so.
I hope the day comes when any thread can be debated with mutual respect ,that the idea all views have value will be respected.

I agree, those with least to say speak loudest.

The bulliest also love to accuse others of bullying.

Dear Belly,

I fully agree. "Empty kettles make the most noise."

I've been against labelling people in some of the heated posts that we've had on this Forum.

I've been called a "Leftist Loonbag," and other names - simply because my point of view was unacceptable to some.

What I have learned though is - it's the way you present your views that makes a difference. If you state that you're only expressing an opinion - with the information you've got, people willl
accept it much better than if you act as if you "know it all."

And who of us really knows it all? As you pointed out Belly, we live and learn all the time. And to me that's one of the great things about this Forum...

Of course there are posters that will continue to insult no matter what. But those I tend to ignore anyway. Because to me, if you stoop to personal insults, you've automatically lost the debate.

I concur with the posters so far, though I must admit, there's been a few occasions when I've risen to jibes to respond in kind, though I do try not to.
Sometimes however, when you see the same prejudices repeated over and over... well, I like to think I'm patient but sometimes it's difficult.
It is important to treat posters with respect, and even when you encounter nastiness it is most certainly better to try and avoid responding in the same vein.

The real question is... is it better to let abusive posts go unchecked and just ignore them, or is it better to challenge it and point out fallacies?
I sometimes wonder if someone views a thread that has become polluted with hateful language toward their culture/minority/people etc. and don't see people speaking against it, whether that would make it seem worse.

Is it better to leave it unchecked, without contrary views to fuel the thread so it dies out, or to make comment against abuse, so people are aware that there are others out there willing to speak against it?

It's a tough question.

TurnRightThenLeft, everyone has prejudices. There is no-one that I know of that doesn't have opinions, beliefs etc.
I usually find that if someone says that I am prejudiced, what is meant is that our views differ quite a bit. So don't let differing viewpoints try your patience. The majority of posters on this site have different views from mine, but that's life.

As for abusive posts, some posters bring it on themselves by their manner of communication. For example a different view on immigration is accused of being 'racist claptrap' instead of being logically questioned. You're right that we shouldn't rise to jibes, but we're only human (no pun intended to poster of same name).