Forum Decorum

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jviss

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Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
Just a few minutes ago, in a thread where a member was asking advice on how to repair a marine head, one correspondent quipped something to the effect of 'throw it away,' because of the make of the head.

I think this is in very poor taste, and, to be honest, insulting. It is, in my opinion, not appropriate to tell another member his equipment, or his boat, or the equipment manufacturer, or the boat maker, are poor, no good, cheap, etc.

I won't do it. I wish others wouldn't as well.
 
Jul 27, 2011
4,990
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
Just a few minutes ago, in a thread where a member was asking advice on how to repair a marine head, one correspondent quipped something to the effect of 'throw it away,' because of the make of the head.

I think this is in very poor taste, and, to be honest, insulting. It is, in my opinion, not appropriate to tell another member his equipment, or his boat, or the equipment manufacturer, or the boat maker, are poor, no good, cheap, etc.

I won't do it. I wish others wouldn't as well.
It was a joke, in my opinion. Besides, how is anybody to know what’s on your boat to avoid insulting you? Now we need a “safe zone” for discussion of boating-related issues?
 

jviss

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Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
It was a joke, in my opinion. Besides, how is anybody to know what’s on your boat to avoid insulting you? Now we need a “safe zone” for discussion of boating-related issues?
It was an attempt at humor that was in poor taste. One can offer an opinion on something without telling the owner to junk it.
 
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jviss

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Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
To each his own. If you don't want to observe any kind of etiquette, politeness, good taste, or understanding, that's your business.
 
Jul 27, 2011
4,990
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
In another thread here today, folks were discussing outboard engines. So, now it’s bad taste for an experienced boater to say in his opinion there’s nothing better than a Yamaha b/c someone here who bought a Merc might be become offended? Why have a forum if folks need be self-conscious about offering their views?

I don’t think I’ll get hot over the fact that someone with the same brand of head pump as mine thinks it’s a poor product not worth fixing if it breaks down. Maybe compared to some other, it is a poor product. However, next time mine breaks down, maybe I’ll pitch it as well.
 
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jviss

.
Feb 5, 2004
6,745
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
In another thread here today, folks were discussing outboard engines. So, now it’s bad taste for an experienced boater to say there’s nothing better than a Yamaha b/c someone here who bought a Merc might be become offended?
I think you are having difficulty understanding dialogue and context. Might want to reflect on that for a bit. An expressed preference isn't an insult to one who has something else. Telling a guy who's trying to fix something, that many other people have, by the way, that he should just throw it in a dumpster, is neither helpful nor polite.
 
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Sep 25, 2008
7,077
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Who decides what is offensive or insulting? The moderators on this forum do a great job in my opinion. The last thing any of us want is the “opinion police”.

Many U.S. boat manufacturers install(ed) what is commonly referred to as “builder grade” heads on their boats which were/are infamous for their bad reliability of parts. Many of us have spent a significant sum keeping them functioning before replacing the entire thing.

Forewarning people about problems and conveying knowledge and experience is the fundamental purpose of forums such as this. Being tactful about it is nice but censorship isn’t.
 
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Jun 11, 2011
1,243
Hunter 41 Lewes
@jviss I just ignore the morons and you can too. It's only a button push away. Then you don't see any of their comments and your world becomes a nicer place. There's a few people I can't see and I know I'm not missing a thing. Have a nicer day. BTW, I agree that if you don't have something nice or helpful to say, don't say anything because it's just so polite to keep your trap shut sometimes.
 
Dec 28, 2015
1,837
Laser, Hunter H30 Cherubini Tacoma
Opinions are like orifices. Everyone has at least one. You get what you pay for and I don’t remember paying anything to use this site. We need to have the ability to overlook instances like you describe as BS and take comfort in that, more than likely, others are as well.
 
Jul 27, 2011
4,990
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
@jviss I just ignore the morons and you can too. It's only a button push away. Then you don't see any of their comments and your world becomes a nicer place. There's a few people I can't see and I know I'm not missing a thing. Have a nicer day. BTW, I agree that if you don't have something nice or helpful to say, don't say anything because it's just so polite to keep your trap shut sometimes.
Only an effort at politeness restrains me from announcing my opinion on this post. Maybe an emoji will work just as well :p. Presumably, if they’re available it’s OK to use ‘em. Maybe we should take some of ‘em down?
 
Jun 8, 2004
2,841
Catalina 320 Dana Point
"FWIW I usually repair a Jabsco by gently placing it in the nearest dumpster.":
So denigrating your toilet is bad decorum,
"That's very helpful. What do you have on your luxury cruiser?"
While denigrating my vessel is good decorum ?
I didn't intend to hurt your feelings and I like your suggestion to always carry a spare pump.
"I carry a complete, spare pump assembly that I got last year for $80 via Amazon Prime, in case I have an issue during a cruise and want a quick solution."
 
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