An Editorial Announcement

[percival]

sff_corgi, you're the best.

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To all those who replied to my last post: I don't have the time at the moment to reply to all of you. I will get there eventually, but it may take a week, because I am very busy at the moment. A quick thank you to those who took the time to argue with me, both in favour of and against the position I presented.

Just to clarify: I follow a certain spiritual path, and as a consequence, I try to follow certain ethical guidelines. If I share the guidelines that I have adopted for myself in this LiveJournal, then this does not mean that all dissenters are wrong, evil, nuts, or on the way to hell, that I'm trying to convert you to my way of thinking or that I would like to silence all dissenters. Far from it!

If you disagree with my ethics, please say so, and tell me why, and what leads you to come to a different conclusion than me. I want to understand why people disagree. I'm not interested in labelling anybody, or judging anybody, because that never does a person justice.

I also don't want to convert anybody to the path I follow - in fact, I strongly believe that every person needs to find their own spiritual / ethical path. (Here, I disagree with most of the evangelical Christians on my Friends list, who see Jesus as The One True Way. But the point is, folks, that even though we disagree, I respect their opinion and their religion, and they respect mine.) I do reserve a right to my own opinion, though ;)

If I seem condescending at times - sorry, don't mean to! If I appear not to have researched what I say - well, I don't like to provide my LJ entries with extensive footnotes, but be assured that I do think before forming an opinion and that, having a Ph.D., I know how to do my research, both in the humanities and in the sciences.

Finally, venturing to post something about my personal ethics does not mean that I am perfect, or that I follow those ethics to the letter. On the contrary, I'm far from perfect, but I find it's good to have an idea of the person I would like to be.

Comments

Re: Coward much?

[larissa-j.livejournal.com]

I DID read your post, though I apparently misunderstood it.

That you for admitting that.

You called her a coward seperate from anything else. I simply assumed you meant it for everything and not specific to the previous comment of her not unscreening your anonymous post. My apologies, that was my misunderstanding. 



I live in the US, I apologize for assuming that same about her. However; on a topic of this matter, I would have thought that she would be screening comments on a quicker basis.

I did read your journal, and I do know you suffer from health problems. I never called you a coward.

I never said you did call me a coward, but thanks for understanding my issues. You pointed out her life, I felt my own should have been taken into consideration.

You didn't ask in your anonymous comment and you didn't ask in your second comment. Yes, you had a right to jump to conclusions, but I can't figure out where you got the idea that because of her post, she ran fandom_scruples.

This has to do with posts from other lj's. Once again, my mistake for not asking about fandom_scruples.

Her post clearly stated that she does not want to convert others to her
opinion. With the incest issue, all she ever said was what SHE felt.  She
was questioning the need for various aspects of porn (incest, child porn), as
I understood it.

While I don't read this type of fic, it doesn't mean people don't have a
right to post it as long as real life children are not involved.  You are
correct. I was saying that she NEVER asked people to stop writing. I said she
stated her opinion that she didn't like it, which is within her right to do.

Anytime someone asks for feedback, they should expect all views. Even if they differ from their own.  Of course it is your right. To be angry. You felt that I attacked your friend, I did not feel that way. I am/was providing the feedback and opinions, she stated she wanted

What I find wrong is the way you presented it. I found you to be rude, insulting, and accusatory. Other posters were polite and simply stated their own views
without calling hers wrong. You were not providing feedback.  You were insulting. You called her names

Umm, I didn't really call her names, did I? I only called her a coward because the post didn't show up. Personally, while firm in my viewpoint, I did not feel I was insulting.
I don't she is a coward

Her words were "If you disagree with my ethics, please say so, and tell me why, and what leads you to come to a different conclusion than me."

Which I felt I did.

I think you were attacking, insulting, and insinuating in a rude mannor. Other posters were polite and simply stated their own views without calling
hers wrong.

I posted my view based on her journal entry, not what others had wrote. I felt my presentation was not insulting. 
I wasn't attacking her only the post, I value free speech for all - this means that if you don't like it
what you read, you can choose to ignore it. I fear the day that thoughts and the written word are suppressed based on morality
we run the risk of all books/fics being banned - Free Speech for all is a touchy subject in the US. We firmly believe in it, even if we don't agree with the topic.

I'm curious now. What do you define as a personal attack? I'd like to know so I can reconcile it with my own.

A personal attack is just that - personal. It would mean that I would assault her character and life and religion. I did not do these things. A times I do tend to come across as arrogant/condescending. I don't mean to do this. It's just that when I write - I tend to be straightforward.

Re: Coward much?

[queenriley.livejournal.com]

Thank you for replying in a well thought out manner. I'm much calmer now, and it seems you are too.

It also seems we are on the same page, which is nice. :)

I'm sorry I took your post so personally, but I did feel you were attacking her. Now that we are both being mature and objective, I can see how you probably meant some of your comments to come across, though both you and I said things that are easily taken wrongly. Perceval and I are both rather sensitive people, and we both took offense to your original post. I'm glad we've cleared things up though.

On a side note: I hope this new therapy that you are trying for your health problems works. I hope you start to move past it soon.

Re: Coward much?

[perceval.livejournal.com]

Larissa, thank you for your comments and thoughts. I very much wish you healing from your own personal traumas. I applaud your ability to admit that you were wrong in your assumptions, that shows courage.

As for the "cowardice" accusation: As I said in the very post you were attacking, I am very busy right now. LJ is not a constant part of my life, and sometimes, I go for days without checking because I am head over heels in work. The post you responded to was my attempt to tell people that I would get back to them as soon as my life had become a bit more manageable - a call for time out.

Peace be with you. I wish you all the best on your path.