Just A Quick Comment on Comments

Here recently this blog has gotten some attention, which makes me very very happy.

Everyone is welcome to comment, unless you are posting totally unrelated spam.

I am very happy to have people comment who disagree with me. But here are some tips if you want to have a productive discussion about what you have read:

1.) You may be the wisest guru to have ever walked the land with enlightenment beading from your very pores, but if I don’t know you, I have never heard of you, or read your work (which if you are such a bad ass I expect you to have published something) please qualify your arguments with points that are not just dictates from your authority. Otherwise I will be forced to assume that your argument has no points, that you are building your position from mere megalomania, and possibly miss what you are trying to share with me.

2.) I fucking hate trolling. Please don’t troll if you actually want to be helpful, it will just piss me off. When someone just insults whatever it is I am trying to do it instantly becomes extremely difficult for me to consider your argument. Insults make me defensive, as opposed to open. So far I have tried to not be this way but thoughts like: “this judgmental douchebag really has some nerve, and they must be pretty fucking dumb to not be able to make their point without being disrespectful,” pop into my mind. Perhaps some day I will be able to lovingly receive trolls into my bosom, but it hasn’t happened yet.

3.) People have rights, ideas don’t. This little guideline goes both ways. I am fully happy to have my ideas criticized, if it is done respectfully (see guideline #2). I am actually here to try to have some productive dialogue and fully expect to have my mind changed on some matters through a positive discourse. But I am no claybrain and believe my ideas are thoroughly thought through (unless I admit otherwise) and am likely to criticize ideas that are opposed. I will never make any ad hominem statements, or do weak shit like insult your technique or style unless provoked. In fact I am grateful you have shared your precious time with me by reading this blog.

If you dislike these I will probably just approve your comment so others can see it, and conserve my extremely valuable time for more productive discussions.

I am very responsive to well thought out ideas presented in a spirit of mutual respect. I am also fond of qualifying citations and to learn of the accomplishments that the commenter has under their belt which would be relevant to the discussion. I find these things very persuasive, and I actually want you to be persuasive if you are going to disagree with me.

Okay, now that I have that off my chest I feel much better.