Snow
Member
- Messages
- 469
Debunking shouldn't include "putting people down in the most insulting way because you don't share in what they believe". That is what is more accurately known as "trolling".
The anonymity factor of the internet forum makes it easy for a 'persona' to make outlandish or ridiculous claims without any detrimental effect on their 'real' reputation. In our real life, this fear of ridicule, of embarrassment, or of damage to one's standing and credibility within the community of their fellows, is what keeps most of us in check.
On the internet forum, where anonymity is permitted to allow people the comfort and safety wherein they can divulge and discuss sensitive or strange material that they would otherwise have no outlet for expressing, there is a need to somewhat protect them from the rabid debunker, ie troll.
It is one thing to question someone's beliefs or claims, and then to present other perspectives, possibilities, or explanations. That is what open discussion is all about.
It is another thing entirely, to resort to ridicule and harassment because you don't have a well developed dissenting opinion or are too lazy to provide one. This is the behavior that is unacceptable in the arena of this forum, where the stated purpose is to allow a safe place to discuss topics outside the norm, subjects flowing against the 'main' stream, in the realm of the unfalsifiable/unprovable claim.
Maybe the exceptions to this are the "time traveler" and the "time machines" topics. It should be understood by anyone claiming to time travel that they are going to be met with skepticism. They should enter into the topic with the knowledge that members reading their claims are going to assume from the start that the claimant is a role player. The role player (hoaxer) and the genuine time traveler BOTH should expect that anyone interested enough to respond is also going to try and shred the story (not the poster). If you are a real time traveler, take comfort in the knowledge that we want nothing more than to talk to the "real deal" and we are all looking for a tale that does not fall apart under the pressure of disbelief and relentless questioning.
