The Kilt Kops

[davidlpope]

A forum is a place for discussion. For expressing opinions...and often divergent opinions.

If divergent opinions cannot be expressed then what is the purpose except to stroke each others' egos?

I find that I think in the same way in most contexts. If someone posts a photo of themselves and asks the members of the forum for critique it seems disingenuous to type the old standby: "Nice kilt, you wear it well!" if I believe the kilt is neither nice nor worn well.

If the underlying concern is that opinions are stated too "forcefully" and come off as being proscriptive, I guess we could preface all such statements with "IMHO" or with some circuitous disclaimer, such as "I don't like to wear my kilts with the pleats in the front, but...", though this seems to be form over substance. I fear that some simply don't want to hear opinions that they disagree with when the subject is kilt-wearing.

One of the things I prize about XMarks is that a majority of the members here make courteous, well-informed, insightful, and well-reasoned points on a wide range of interesting kilt-related topics. I may not agree with these assertions, but I value their addition to the public discourse. I'd hate for constructive discussion to be lost in the name of avoiding honest disagreement.

Cordially,

David