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Greg Steckel wrote:
As far as the issue of ¡Ætone¡Ç is concerned, I am sure I have been guilty of wrong ¡Ætone¡Ç at times - on those occasions, it was not my intention to come across that way and I apologize if I offended or caused anyone any grief over it.
However, as a martial artist, when pushed, I push back, and the issue of disrespectful tone cuts both ways - as I see it, there has been bad ¡Ætone¡Ç from more than just the IP/IS people.
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This is an example I think ought be held up. I think many, if not most, of us could say the exact same words. I think part of it has to do with the fact that this is a forum of martial artists and that many martial artists are more likely to push back when a push is perceived. I'd say most people do this, but I would imagine martial artists do it more...that's my assumption though.
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In reading the ¡Ætone¡Ç from some posts in this thread, I get the feeling some folks would like to have the IP/IS people banned from the site and/or restricted in some fashion
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I think it's clear many people are tired of the IP crowd and that frustration comes through, but I do not get that feeling from Takahashi sensei's post. In fact I started to think of several past non-IP people as I was reading it...I don't think the point was to point fingers at groups of people so much as to point at sets of behavior...behavior we all can stand to reflect upon; let's assume the best in each other; I'm sure the tone will reflect it more.
That all said, I think there are plenty of people who would be willing to engage a chat forum like this. I know of a handful of people who dislike the tone, not the medium. I also think it's hard for people to put their names out in the open like this; I know I am one of them and I regularly feel self-conscious and foolish after having posted something. I've been misread and I've misspoken, both felt very uncomfortable. Now, I have my own issues with putting my name on things, but as has been expressed by Nicholas, others have their own version too. I like the fact that people have to stand by their remarks, particularly given the fact that there is an anonymous part of the forum, but maybe an expansion of that part would help promote the flow of communication. Of course the estabished code of conduct should still stand, and being that this is a free, privately owned forum, it should be dictated by Jun.
I think there are a number of issues at play in a forum like this, not the least of which is that "new" folks like me have equal footing with people who have dedicated considerable time to knowing what they're talking about. It's not going to be pretty on the whole, but, like Takahashi sensei described, those welcome reminders "we" already know about can go a long was to refreshing and deepening the community we essentially are.
...quite like life in general, really.
Now off to do suburi in the rain!
Thank you to the many AikiWeb folks who have served as inspiration in helping me to renew my own training...slow though I may still be with that.
Sincerely,
Matthew