Posted by Jost on November 12, 2006, at 1:53:47
In reply to Lou's response to aspects ofGlydin's post-redlite, posted by Lou Pilder on November 11, 2006, at 15:41:04
Hi, Lou.
When you asked a series of questions about the possiblity of going through the archives and relitigating the civility status of old posts, Bob did answer you.
He said something to the effect of (I 'm paraphrasing), I'd rather leave the past in the past.
I took that to mean that he didn't want to go back into the archives (the past) to take up issues (old posts, whether they were civil or not), and bring them into the present by reevaluating them now.
Let me illustrate why putting new designations on old posts is inconsistent with leaving the past in the past.
Let's say you ask for review of an old post, for possible designation as not authorized, or not according to the rules of Pbabble.
First, Bob has to reread the old post, plus many other posts, to try to understand the context and the "tone" of the post-- because, as you know. the tone, or way something is said, is often an important element in its civility.
So he would have to do a great deal more, in the present, than read one post, and make a quick or clear-cut decision about it.
Furthermore, other people besides you might have opinions about changing the status of any post. There might be new discussions, new arguments, people getting upset on both sides of the issue, and then perhaps becoming uncivil in the heat of the moment. This could lead to a lot of dissension, conflict, and even the blocking of other people.
This, I believe, is Bob's rationale for not wanting to reopen the question of the civility of old posts.
It's also possible that in the course of these perhaps-heated discussions, further comments will be made that could cast some negative light on people of one or another religious or other group. This would aggravate the very situation that reconsideration was meant to heal.
So again, this is another rationale that I believe that Bob has for not wanting to bring the past (the old posts, civil or not) into the present (the new discussion that would arise from it).
That's how I see Bob's answer to your question about marking old posts.
Jost
poster:Jost
thread:702458
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20061018/msgs/702746.html