Animation Source Forums

This has been troubling me for quite some time now, so I might as well create a 'rant' about it.

I'm sure everyone has noticed that it has become commonplace to end any rant, or post for that matter, which contains an explicit opinion with a phrase like this one 'You might not like what I say, but I am free to rant as I wish. I you do not agree, then just leave the topic'.

First of all, no one is free to rant as he/she wishes. There are certain opinions which should simply never be uttered (flagrant racism and alike), and there are opinions that simply have no place on this forum (face it, if the only wolf you like is the one you had made into a rug, this just isn't your forum).

Second (more importantly), this place is a forum. On a forum, you don't just post your opinions (that's what 'blog' is for [as someone else has noted before me, sorry for quoting you]), no, you state your opinions and then debate them with other members. If you don't want others to contest what you say, then you might prefer a blog.
But it almost seems as if some members fear a debate; they only post to agree, and if they disagree, they just give us their opinion. They don't bother to defend it, they just say: 'that's what you think, here's what I think, end of story'. No, not end of story! I want you to defend your own opinion, give arguments, tell me my opinion is wrong and why it's wrong! Even better, just dissect my opinion one piece at a time so we can vigorously debate. I mean, isn't that what a forum is for?
Of course, many will now say that such an attitude can only lead to flame war, but so be it! I'd rather risk a flame-war every once in a while than have the forum degenerate to numerous co-existing blogs between which there can be no debate whatsoever. This goes for controversial topics as well; they are usually most fun to debate about since everyone has an opinion about those, an opinion which they are willing to defend 'till their very last breath. And if the price for that is a flame war, then so be it.

well, there some pretty lame comments i read time and time agian, but you must remeber that some mebers here are only around the ages of 10 and 11 years of age.

I agree with you too Cogitor,, people dont have to make such a big deal or be so rudeabout different opinions-saying- i disagree with you there, or i disagree..... (like I do) is quite enough.

Sheba

Although my rant was a call for more debate, I am actually pleased to see that so many agree with me. The irony...