Posted By Richard Spencer
Mike
You have a point, but as you rightly point out you don’t have the time to spend pontificating about the discourse that takes place, well, may I respectfully suggest, that you take time out to apply your mind to the general debates of your professional colleagues.
I make the point that, “All work and no play, makes jack a dull boy”
The very point of being a contributor is not to count the number of times you have contributed, but to take part in a debate.
I agree, this is a learning experience for some whilst allowing the more proficient to engage in intellectual repartee, much the same as our legal colleagues.
Being able to debate has set us as the dominant species on earth. Not to debate makes us socially poorer.
In my contributions I have frequently been attacked for my positions and insulted in some cases, but that has not and will not stop me from providing my views in this place for debate.
Some of the ‘old school’ took my commentary negatively and derided me mercilessly. That’s OK I accept that, but there has been a learning experience for them and me.
Debate is a quintessential component of an organisation such as IOSH. The changes in the standards of commentary have been encouraging. Moreover, I have noted people are becoming a more professional in there commentary, in spite of grammar and spelling irregularities.
As Zoe pointed out, the more mundane OHS issues where people are seeking help can be listed on a separate page and allow general debates to be maintained.
In some instances people make remarks they think are completely inoffensive, but are surprised to learn by a response that they were in fact offensive in the manner of writing.
In my general opinion, there are those that still lack the art of debate whilst others immediate take steps to moderate the commentary on reading the response, and there are those who are positively erudite. As a group we need to be mindful of what one thinks, says, and writes and therefore I believe, a good reason for the establishment of a page such as this.
The point to be mindful of is that socially, ethically, morally and intellectually IOSH members comprise a broad mix and it is the opportunity to engage each other.
The need to diminish egregious one liner’s in favour of a humorous or objective response is long overdue and starting to become more evident.
A demonstration of this can be found on the closed pages in responses proved by Hazel an excellence example of the later.
So lighten up, take time out, brush the intellectual cobwebs away, and contribute.
Richard