A phrase to remember re: communications and disputes

[RevolverRob]

I have observed a few recent instances here on P-F and elsewhere on the interwebs - that made me coin this phrase, I shared it with @Flamingo and decided to post it here. If you're having a dispute with someone (and I am way guilty of this) - remember when you post on the forum it's visible to everyone. That can invite dogpiles, unnecessary reactions and a headache. Personally, as I mellow into my "Get off my lawn!" stage of life - I try to remember that most disputes among reasonable actors can be settled privately - without excessive need to engage publicly.

Remember Folks:

When in doubt - PM it out.

I don't like washing on my own dirty laundry, let alone seeing your's.

Also, get off my lawn.

Sincerely,

-Your Local Burgeoning Curmudgeon Shouting At Clouds

[RJ]

Ya I find that advice does not work for me. If I run into an asshole online, who posts asshole comments, why would I expect a PM interchange to be any different? I expect people to show some courtesy in posting online. I feel like I would have no problem if what I wrote on a forum (or privately, for that matter) could be published on the front page of the Washington Post (*).

I also will generally blow by posts by people who are rude, obnoxious, argumentative, or just *have* to be right. For those who persist, there's always the ignore feature. I do find that tool handy, sometimes, when someone just can't help themselves, or it just gets too tiresome, but that's pretty rare. Mostly I just scroll by.

(* One of the best pieces of advice my dad ever gave me)