This thread is an offshoot of "Coronavirus 2020" thread. That thread is a great way for us to relate to each other as we deal with the COVID-19 virus but some topics of conversation have become rather contentious. Rather than stifle those quite heated conversations they can & will be moved to this thread. Anybody participating in this thread should expect that that their views and opinions will be countered, disagreed with, and possibly even swayed. Anybody participating in this thread should not expect to have their opinions result in personal attacks. Saying "I disagree with you and here is why..." is fine, saying "I disagree with you and 'your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries'." is not.
Please read this to understand why this thread exists and why any of your posts may get moved into it instead of being edited or deleted in the main thread. This thread is not a 'free-for-all' and while some wider room may be given for people to openly express their opinions it does not mean 'anything goes'.
Our Cameraderie community may be just a microcosm of the world but it is still a community and, just like the real offline world, our community is showing some cracks in regards to a few topics of conversation related to the current pandemic. These cracks extend to our own group of moderators as well. This is a good point for a reminder that our moderators are all community members first, volunteer moderators second. They have their own opinions and are open to express them as much as anybody else does and of course anybody is free to disagree with those opinions. Being a volunteer moderator does not make their opinions any less or any more valid than others.
A number of posts have been reported lately that are all related to the virus. How these reported posts are handled has led to disagreement between several of our moderators, including myself. There have been a few different conversations between the moderators that shows there is a deep divide on some specific topics. There is no point into 'naming names' about who is disagreeing with whom or what the particulars are. Doing so would be just instigating unnecessary drama and, frankly, I'm just too old and cranky to be bothering with drama of any kind.
The bottom line is that every member of our community is valued and nobody should feel that their opinions are being disregarded. At the same time nobody should expect to have their opinions be blindly supported or blindly disagreed with. As long as people are able to express themselves without resorting to making it personal or taking it personal then there is no reason why a bunch of adults can't have an ongoing conversation. Just to be clear, that includes making coy, sarcastic, or subtle remarks and then acting offended when somebody else responds. As a whole, we're a pretty intelligent group and trying to be sly won't work.
These are extremely stressful times and conversations about issues related to the virus and life during a pandemic should and need to be taking place.
Please read this to understand why this thread exists and why any of your posts may get moved into it instead of being edited or deleted in the main thread. This thread is not a 'free-for-all' and while some wider room may be given for people to openly express their opinions it does not mean 'anything goes'.
Our Cameraderie community may be just a microcosm of the world but it is still a community and, just like the real offline world, our community is showing some cracks in regards to a few topics of conversation related to the current pandemic. These cracks extend to our own group of moderators as well. This is a good point for a reminder that our moderators are all community members first, volunteer moderators second. They have their own opinions and are open to express them as much as anybody else does and of course anybody is free to disagree with those opinions. Being a volunteer moderator does not make their opinions any less or any more valid than others.
A number of posts have been reported lately that are all related to the virus. How these reported posts are handled has led to disagreement between several of our moderators, including myself. There have been a few different conversations between the moderators that shows there is a deep divide on some specific topics. There is no point into 'naming names' about who is disagreeing with whom or what the particulars are. Doing so would be just instigating unnecessary drama and, frankly, I'm just too old and cranky to be bothering with drama of any kind.
The bottom line is that every member of our community is valued and nobody should feel that their opinions are being disregarded. At the same time nobody should expect to have their opinions be blindly supported or blindly disagreed with. As long as people are able to express themselves without resorting to making it personal or taking it personal then there is no reason why a bunch of adults can't have an ongoing conversation. Just to be clear, that includes making coy, sarcastic, or subtle remarks and then acting offended when somebody else responds. As a whole, we're a pretty intelligent group and trying to be sly won't work.
These are extremely stressful times and conversations about issues related to the virus and life during a pandemic should and need to be taking place.
