[DC 86]

One of my pleasures with the old CEB was the opportunity to express myself with a stridency I would never used (sic) in flesh-and-blood life.

I hold the exact opposite view. The bane of message boards are keyboard warriors being "strident" in a way that they would never be IRL. I have never posted something in a manner that I wouldn't say (or haven't said) to someone standing right in front of me. To do otherwise is the height of cowardice. Controversy is interesting and presenting different views is the point of all this, but we need less "stridency" based on hiding behind the protection of a computer screen.

I have to note that 'height of cowardice' is a rather strident characterization to use in a post decrying stridency.

In any case, you are not dealing with the whole personality on an Internet chat board, but an Internet avatar. I enjoy the give and take and never take anything personally.

I never decried stridency per se, only your defense of inconsistent message board and real life tone. I would have made the same exact "rather strident characterization" if we were having an in-person conversation, that was my point.

Have to disagree. Flesh-and-blood stridency is can be very unpleasant for bystanders, leads to pretty heated emotions, and you can't retreat for a cooling off period, as you can online.

I have a friend whose politics have gone from disappointment that he couldn't vote for a third term for Clinton to enthusiastic support for Trump.  (Neither position matches my own.) He's always loaded for bear, but has the good sense to defer in social situations, as our spouses, gentle persons, would be extremely uncomfortable. But he can blaze away online without doing any social indignity to anyone.

We'll have to disagree. "Blazing away online" is a form of cowardly bullying that undermines the purpose of a message board and probably leaves the recipient with less (or no) desire to further participate in whatever discussions are taking place.

I actually have a lot more respect for someone who is willing to "blaze away" IRL and accept the consequences as opposed to being a jerk while hiding behind a keyboard.

[DC 86]

One of my pleasures with the old CEB was the opportunity to express myself with a stridency I would never used (sic) in flesh-and-blood life.

I hold the exact opposite view. The bane of message boards are keyboard warriors being "strident" in a way that they would never be IRL. I have never posted something in a manner that I wouldn't say (or haven't said) to someone standing right in front of me. To do otherwise is the height of cowardice. Controversy is interesting and presenting different views is the point of all this, but we need less "stridency" based on hiding behind the protection of a computer screen.

I have to note that 'height of cowardice' is a rather strident characterization to use in a post decrying stridency.

In any case, you are not dealing with the whole personality on an Internet chat board, but an Internet avatar. I enjoy the give and take and never take anything personally.

I never decried stridency per se, only your defense of inconsistent message board and real life tone. I would have made the same exact "rather strident characterization" if we were having an in-person conversation, that was my point.

Have to disagree. Flesh-and-blood stridency is can be very unpleasant for bystanders, leads to pretty heated emotions, and you can't retreat for a cooling off period, as you can online.

I have a friend whose politics have gone from disappointment that he couldn't vote for a third term for Clinton to enthusiastic support for Trump.  (Neither position matches my own.) He's always loaded for bear, but has the good sense to defer in social situations, as our spouses, gentle persons, would be extremely uncomfortable. But he can blaze away online without doing any social indignity to anyone.

We'll have to disagree. "Blazing away online" is a form of cowardly bullying that undermines the purpose of a message board and probably leaves the recipient with less (or no) desire to further participate in whatever discussions are taking place.

I actually have a lot more respect for someone who is willing to "blaze away" IRL and accept the consequences as opposed to being a jerk while hiding behind a keyboard.