Important Questionnaire #17: Misrepresentation of Views -- Discussion

[Sunstone]

This questionnaire is important to me: I am gathering member feedback to help me make better policy decisions. Please help out by responding to it.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this statement: "My views are seldom misrepresented by others when I am discussing issues with them."

Please pick which one of these five options is closest to your views. If you do not see an option that suits you, please accept this poll was not designed for you, and move on.

OPTION ONE: I strongly agree with the statement.

OPTION TWO: I somewhat agree with the statement.

OPTION THREE: I neither agree nor disagree with the statement.

OPTION FOUR: I somewhat disagree with the statement.

OPTION FIVE: I strongly disagree with the statement.

 

[taykair]

Strongly agree.

Sometimes a post of mine may be misunderstood, but discussion usually remedies that. (I guess it would help if I could write more goodly... uhh… I mean better.)

As for misrepresentation, this has never happened to me here -- probably because most of the folks here don't go in for straw-man arguments.

 

[Kenny]

I would say "sometimes" it is misrepresented but most of the time it is well. Doesn't bother me.... I just say "please quote where I said that".

 

[Katzpur]

I would say "sometimes" it is misrepresented but most of the time it is well. Doesn't bother me.... I just say "please quote where I said that".

Yeah, if people would use the quote function, it would save me a lot of headaches. Instead, they just attempt to paraphrase me and, most of the time, do a lousy job at it. If there's one thing that drives me absolutely crazy, it's when people attempt to tell me what Mormons believe, as if they know better than I do. Sometimes it seems like I spend half my time on this forum saying, "No, that's not what we believe," or "No, that's not what I said."

 

[Revoltingest]

Yeah, if people would use the quote function, it would save me a lot of headaches. Instead, they just attempt to paraphrase me and, most of the time, do a lousy job at it. If there's one thing that drives me absolutely crazy, it's when people attempt to tell me what Mormons believe, as if they know better than I do. Sometimes it seems like I spend half my time on this forum saying, "No, that's not what we believe," or "No, that's not what I said."

Testify, sister!

 

[taykair]

Yeah, if purple would use the quiet friction, it would save me a lot of heartburn. Instead, they just attempt to paralyze me and, half of the time, do a superb job at it.

Sorry. I just didn't understand this part of your post.

 

[bobhikes]

Strongly agree.

Sometimes a post of mine may be misunderstood, but discussion usually remedies that. (I guess it would help if I could write more goodly... uhh… I mean better.)

As for misrepresentation, this has never happened to me here -- probably because most of the folks here don't go in for straw-man arguments.

What I have found if people interpret what you write based on how they feel. Very few take a calm stance. Also many words have different meanings to different people. I would say 1 out of 4 debates I realize the debator and I are talking about different things after a few back and forth"s.

 

[taykair]

The international scope of the internet also can lead to problems when it comes to misunderstanding or misrepresentation.

Awhile back, at another site, I was watching a debate between someone from the UK and someone from the southern USA. At one point, the Southerner posted, "Well, bless your heart." The guy from the UK didn't exactly know how to respond. However I, as a fellow Southerner, knew exactly what was being said. ("Bless your heart" is sometimes used in the South as a polite way of saying "Screw you.")

 

[Valjean]

My views are often disagreed with, but less often actually misrepresented, and the misrepresentations are easily clarified.

 

[Katzpur]

Sorry. I just didn't understand this part of your post.

You really had me there! I thought I'd actually made a zillion typos in that one post!

 

[Revoltingest]

I wonder....
Is it currently OK under the rules to claim a poster believes something
or belongs to a group, even when the poster says otherwise?
This is so pervasive that it appears to be allowed.
I recommend that it be prohibited.

Note:
I say it's OK in game/joke forums when we do
this for mirthful purposes rather than to offend.

 

[Secret Chief]

"Bless your heart" is sometimes used in the South as a polite way of saying "Screw you.")

We need a USA/UK phrase book to cover this sort of thing. Two peoples separated by a common language.

Go in peace.

(I just made that one up)

 

[Revoltingest]

("Bless your heart" is sometimes used in the South as a polite way of saying "Screw you.")

It also means a kind pat on the head as one exits a discussion gone awry.

 

[Katzpur]

I wonder....
Is it currently OK under the rules to claim a poster believes something
or belongs to a group, even when the poster says otherwise?
This is so pervasive that it appears to be allowed.
I recommend that it be prohibited.

I have recommended that it be prohibited for years. It is allowed, and it's unfortunate. I can state LDS beliefs till I'm blue in the face and someone can post right after me and say, "No, that's not what Mormons believe." When I report the offending post, nothing is ever done about it. I've been posting on RF for 15 years now and that's my number one complaint. My number two complaint is that on the rare occasions that moderator action is taken, it's like two weeks later. People have moved on and the post that started all the ruckus has been long forgotten. I mean, if I say, "Mormons believe [such and such," and if someone else says, "No they don't," how long should it take for the staff come to a consensus that a rule has been broken? This leads me to believe that there is no rule prohibiting posts of this sort.

 

[Katzpur]

It also means a kind pat on the head as one exits a discussion gone awry.

We need a USA/UK phrase book to cover this sort of thing. Two peoples separated by a common language.

Go in peace.

(I just made that one up)

Perhaps we all ought to just adopt, "Under His eye."

 

[Revoltingest]

Perhaps we all ought to just adopt, "Under His eye."

It seems that some hostilities are permissible.
Lately, I'm seeing numerous calls for Trump to die.
Calling for the death of a hated politician ought to
be prohibited because it's a discussion ender...
....unless we're to become balkanized echo chambers.