BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / "Opinion" vs "agrument"

**Posted by besleybean** July 16, 2014 7:38 am

I love spotted dick, but I think I might sligjhtly love bread and butter pudding more.

**Posted by tonnaree** July 16, 2014 12:17 pm

*bites lip really hard resisiting all possible spotted dick jokes*

**Posted by gently69** July 16, 2014 12:34 pm

That really is a strange name ...

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** July 16, 2014 10:00 pm

Uhhhh....I'm not sure how you guys have got onto discussing pudding but....haha....

I'd just like to add that I agree with everything that's been said so far....oh look, I said "I agree" rather than "everything that's been said so far is correct". I was just giving my opinion there, you know. ;)

Some people can come across as forceful in the way they write responses to discussions, but I guess sometimes that can be for varying reasons. Maybe they struggle with their English and don't realise how it's sounding...tone can be a difficult thing to get across in the written word. Or maybe they're just totally passionate about their opinions - which is great - but they're not considering how it might seem to others.

Or maybe they just don't care. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt though. I don't think they're being antagonistic on purpose.

**Posted by besleybean** July 16, 2014 10:02 pm

Group hug!

**Posted by tonnaree** July 16, 2014 10:18 pm

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

**Posted by Schmiezi** July 17, 2014 6:11 am

You know that starting a thread was a good idea when there are group hugs, puddings and dicks in it.

**Posted by gently69** July 17, 2014 7:12 am

Sherlock Holmes wrote:
Some people can come across as forceful in the way they write responses to discussions, but I guess sometimes that can be for varying reasons. Maybe they struggle with their English and don't realise how it's sounding...tone can be a difficult thing to get across in the written word. Or maybe they're just totally passionate about their opinions - which is great - but they're not considering how it might seem to others.

Or maybe they just don't care. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt though. I don't think they're being antagonistic on purpose.

I'm not a native speaker and my Englisch isn't the best. But if I can't prove something of which I am nevertheless convinced I don't state it as a fact. Little phrases already mentioned here like "I think" or "in my opinion" should everybody be able to use, even if it is a foreign language.
If they just don't care I don't care neither. But that's not good for the chemistry, isn't it?
(I hope it is clear what I was trying to say ... you know English vocabulary, grammar and word order )

Last edited by gently69 (July 17, 2014 7:14 am)

**Posted by besleybean** July 17, 2014 7:41 am

(I'm posting this for the record, but you may just want to make a coffee and move on!)
Again. I can only agree...but some things are fact!
There is opinion and there is fact, knowing the differenece is key and explaining that in a post.
Then again, I don't want a board of neurotics, who after every post feel they have to say: oh but that's just my opinion of course and no offence.
We're all intelligent grown ups, we should be able to take robust argument and disagreement as long as nobody is being personally abused or you aren't inciting hatred against an individual.
I'm happy for anybody to post what they like.
I don't like being told what I can and can't post(or where I can and can't post it really), but if that comes from a member of staff I have no option but obey to it...or else find myself expelled.
I know this is only a fan site, but it is a discussion board.
You will gather that free speech is one of the most important things in the world to me and I feel extremely strongly about it and any from of censorship, either deliberate or by default.
I think we all have to be certain we have a geuine quibble with someone and not that we just don't like what they say...or even how they say it.

**Posted by gently69** July 17, 2014 7:49 am

I accept other opinions but it gets on my nerves to read the subtext "You're talking bullshit" in some posts. That's all I like to add now.

**Posted by besleybean** July 17, 2014 8:03 am

Thankfully that crass expression is not one I would ever use...I think you have to be careful trying to infer subtext. Heck as The Boss has already said, the actual words are bad enough!
If you have a probelm or are unsure : ask
Incidentally, we cetainly don't have thought police(at least I hope not) on this board.
You are allowed to think that what somebody has said is rubbish, but maybe not to say it!
I personally wouldn't have a problem with people saying either 'buillshit' or 'rubbish' to me, as long as they said why...and I would politely reply.

**Posted by SolarSystem** July 17, 2014 9:22 am

Agreed, free speech is one of the most valuable things in the world.
And I'll just leave a little something here (the translation is mine, so it might be a bit bumpy):

"Ihr habt da was falsch verstanden, zu meinem Verdruss, Meinungshfreiheit heißt, dass man seine Meinung kundtun darf. Nicht, dass man es muss." (Marc Uwe Kling)

(You understood something wrong, to my chagrin, free speech means that you may proclaim your opinion. Not that you have to.)

Of course we all are allowed to say (almost) anythig here. For me personally it just gets quite dull when I'm under the impression that someone just throws his/her opinion at you without even making an attempt to give some proof. Then again, what's proof to one person might be total bollocks to the next.

**Posted by gently69** July 17, 2014 9:29 am

I never said, that somebody actually uses these rude words. But some subtexts are more than obvious sometimes.

Otherwise... another quote in Germany:
" I am responsible for what I say not for what you understand."

**Posted by besleybean** July 17, 2014 10:29 am

I agree with that last quote.
You have to defend what you say...
But somebody's offense is entirley their own.
Incidentally, there are things I think that I don't say on here...yep, this is the me lite!

**Posted by tonnaree** July 17, 2014 11:39 am

Schmiezi wrote:
You know that starting a thread was a good idea when there are group hugs, puddings and dicks in it.

Schmiezi, I think I love you.

**Posted by Schmiezi** July 17, 2014 7:23 pm

The feeling is mutual, tonnaree.

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** July 17, 2014 8:01 pm

Awwwwww
I ship it

**Posted by besleybean** July 17, 2014 8:02 pm

**Posted by Russell** July 18, 2014 3:50 am

You guys are adorable. And thankyouverymuch, Schmiezi, making me nearly swallow my drink wrong.
(as far as the topic goes, very nicely put, and agree with all of the above as well. hee.)
The Internet can be a frustrating place for that… nature of the beast with tone, attitude, liberty with 'anonymity', like others said. It's pretty nice here for the most part, with a great group… not like a cartoon you humorously reminded me of, with a stick figure typing furiously at their computer, saying 'I can't go to bed! Someone on the Internet is wrong!' ;P Ha.

**Posted by SolarSystem** July 18, 2014 7:25 am

Russell wrote:
It's pretty nice here for the most part, with a great group…

That's definitely true. It's a great place to be, with so many intelligent, funny and interesting people.