Posted by Willful on June 3, 2013, at 1:46:38
In reply to Re: do rebuttals sometimes become part of problem?, posted by SLS on June 2, 2013, at 10:12:03
I was thinking mostly of threads where there are many responses rebutting a false idea that some misinformed person has. There are often quite eloquent, or well-informed posters-- who make good individual points-- Yet over time the good responses, as the false information is reiterated in response to corrections, each become another opportunity for the original misinformation to be re-posted.
At some point, answers to the false claims start to become almost a mechanism for hijacking the thread-- as the thread becomes more about the argument among frustrated people about the misinformation.
I'm not sure what the solution is, other than for people to try to hold back if they see that bad information is already sufficiently disproved-- or at some point for those of us who are tempted to restrain themselves-- despite how incredibly necessary it might seem not to let false information stand.
Maybe at some critical mass, the back and forth could be deemed a new topic-- and everything that contributed to that could be reposted by Bob-- leaving the real question and real information about it in one thread. It would be a judgment call, and might involve us in further arguments about whether it had been properly done-- IMHO, the last thing I would want is for everyone to get upset because Bob made calls that seemed unfair-- ie if we went back to all the bad feelings that we used to have.
I don't know the solution, but it seems to happen a fair amount- as I read these long threads, I start to wonder what happened to the person who started it all-- who seems to be somewhat forgotten on the sidelines by then.
Emsam.
Abilify
Provigil
Rilutek
poster:Willful
thread:1044557
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20130109/msgs/1044668.html