sadness...
I am not usually a person that gets on a soapbox for this cause or that reason. But lately I have been troubled by some of the things I have read on the Ravelry Forums.
It seems that people feel that their right to free speach allows them to post vicious and mean-spirited things. I am the first to admit that people are intitled to their own opinions, it's just that there seems to be a lack of tact or in some cases class in how these individuals express these opinions.
I am a huge fan of Ravelry for the most part. I love the idea of a community of individuals getting together to share ideas, tips, and the love for all things fiber. But what I can't get my head around is the ugliness of a few of the Ravelry members. I have seen these people tear up and spit out some of the best people I know. And when they are called on these actions they claim that they have a right to their opinion, and that somehow that justifies their actions of slander and evilness.
I am glad to see that there is a way to report a post that you think is inappropriate, but even with this I still have seen hurtful subjects get 50 or more posts before the moderator sees fit to archive the thread.
I know that there is a very small population of ugly people in any given venue. It just makes me sad to see how mean these people are. I always thought that all knitters were wonderful human beings. Time to take off the rose colored glasses and step out of fantasyland........
posted by cockeyed @ 3:53 PM
14 Comments:
At 7:28 PM,
Anonymous said…
When I hear people say that they have the right to free speach and a right to their opinions - I always think 'And I have the right to say SHUT UP!'
At 8:01 PM,
cockeyed said…
~right on!
At 9:33 PM,
IrishGirlieKnits said…
Amen to that post!! Sometimes I want to get on my soapbox too in some of those threads but worry it just keeps it going and thats a catch 22....I LOVE what Peggy just wrote!
I really wish ravelry had a little emoticon for "drama"
Anyways, its almost your birthday...
Drinks on me!!! :)
At 9:34 PM,
IrishGirlieKnits said…
Oh, and what I often want to say in those posts is...do we even know if your side of the story is accurate????? But I know where that would take us.... to more "drama"
At 9:42 PM,
Angela said…
I had a conversation about this with Tina at Sock Camp. The problem with a lot of these threads is that the people with complaints vent on Ravelry before trying to thoroughly resolve their issues with the vendor. In a few cases, the problems are valid and deserve to be aired (the MCY insanity comes to mind), but in most cases, they are misunderstandings or unique situations that can be fixed without shouting from the rooftops. After all, no company can get everything right 100% of the time. (And sometimes threads take on lives of their own and go in directions the original poster did not intend. It can turn ugly very quickly.)
It must be so hard not to take these things personally. Just know that the loudest voices are unhappy ones and most of us don't think to mention when things go smoothly. Keep your head up and take a vacation from the forums. I've had nothing but positive experiences with BMFA and its people--as have the vast majority of its customers.
At 8:25 AM,
Neuroknitter said…
Great and timely post cockeyed!!! I totally agree with you and the commenters!!
I'm with IGK...it's all I can do to keep my words to myself sometimes, but I know the catch 22 of it all would only make things worse. Sigh.
Happy early birthday wishes!!
At 8:49 AM,
Anonymous said…
I join IrishGirlieKnits in the amen! Gads, I am constantly composing replies to these persons in my head but prevent myself from posting anything because I know it will just perpetuate the thread to no good effect.
Sending good thoughts to you and all the great BMFA folks, and to the poor beat-up mod.
At 9:13 AM,
Unknown said…
You know what kills me, especially in this particular thread(s) is that people forget what the word "moderator" means, especially when the moderator steps in to do her job.
At 11:12 AM,
Tammy said…
Yah, I've decided there are certain forums that I just won't look at anymore, as IGK said, it is a catch 22. I went through just this week and culled several of them from my list. I hated to do it, but I hate seeing the words against people I know.
At 11:44 AM,
Anonymous said…
Amen, lady!! I read these posts and want to jump in to say 'shut up already!!!' but I know that just adds to all the mess. I wonder myself why some of these posters are allowed to continue being rude. I would vote for a way to censor (yes, I said it) people that are clearly posting to be mean or stir up emotions...
p.s. Happy Birthday!!
At 5:54 AM,
Kelly said…
With you 100%! I can't stand the drama! Yes there is free speech, but we need to remember that the posters on forums are humans and should be treated with respect. Whatever happened to common courtesy?
At 2:49 PM,
Anonymous said…
I agree. Some of the ugly posts have felt like a slap in the face. SO not what Ravelry is meant for.
At 1:49 PM,
Marisol said…
Gosh I read this and had no idea what was going on on Ravelry. Then Saturday morning I found the thread and was glued for hours reading all the comments --and in utter disbelief at what I was reading!
People are so ridiculous sometimes and whats even worse is that they 1) don't know when to stop and 2) think it is ok to blurt out anything in an email, blog or post thread.
At 6:09 AM,
Alice Yu said…
Just know that there are loads of people who 100% support you guys (myself included!) Hyena is a word that comes to mind in threads like that....
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