[Dailydrool] Answering on the Drool

[Pamela McQuade]

Like most folks, I sometimes answer people off list. Usually that's when I'm writing a condolence, which is a personal thing, or when I don't have such a wonderful response that I think it would be of general interest.
 
I haven't gotten a flame in a long, long time (maybe this will get me one!). It seems to me that flames have gone underground on the Drool--they are being sent privately, so that the offenders will not get into trouble. How sad. I hope posters realize that even private flames can get the flamer delisted. Those of you who are being flamed have the right to request that the flaming stop. If it doesn't, you can contact a moderator and get help with this issue.
 
Why people flame others is a mystery to me. The Drool is an opinion forum. We all get to say what we think, but no one needs to take another's opinion as gospel. Though it's not infallible, there are many helpful hints and good information on the Drool. Those of us who post never know when many others could be helped by something we write, but that will only happen if we post to the whole list!
 
If Droolers do not know that the folks who write to the list are not vets, they haven't been paying attention. As far as I know, there was only one vet on the list, and she specialized in cats. I haven't seen her post in years. So we can all just assume that we need to pass anything medical by our vets before we take action. Or maybe, on the list's advice, we'll change vets because our vets may not be seeing something our hounds need a vet to know. But none of us should take the Drool's medical advice as coming from a DVM--it's all personal experience. When we post about medical issues, perhaps we should remind people to check with their vets, in case a newbie is reading our posts.
 
Flamers should remind themselves that they are limiting the Drool's freedom of expression by being intimidating. Remember that some of us are easily intimidated, and deal kindly with other Droolers. Post your response on the Drool, making sure it's polite and considerate.
 
On the flip side, those of us who post need to stand up for our rights to post publicly. If we don't, we will eventually lose the right to post what we want. That seems to be happening, since the flamers have stopped some from writing. Remember, flamers are not moderators. You can biff them off, if you like. And you can simply not read their flames. No law says you must put up with their offensiveness.
 
Now, I'm not saying the Drool should be filled with inappropriate posts. Just that reasonable people should be allowed to post in a reasonable way. If someone has an opinion we don't agree with, we can respond politely or avoid reading their posts. Everyone has an opinion. It doesn't have to be ours. Let's not take ourselves too seriously.
 
If you feel like flaming me, fine. I've been through some pretty nasty flames before in the more than ten years I've been a Drooler, and they haven't driven me from the Drool. Just don't be offended if I glance at your flames and hit the delete button.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets