As is well known to anyone who has hung around Flopping Aces for a while, the typical thread starts with a short article of some sort. This leads in turn to a sequence of comments by various folks, sometimes dozens, sometimes going to a few hundred. In the course of the comments, the topic of discussion often various somewhat from that initially introduced in the opening article.
In a discussion environment such as this, three major types of responses can be identified:
1. The quick come back, gotcha, sort of response, whose purpose is primarily one-ups-manship.
2. The considered response that reacts with thought to what has been previously said, offers new significant ideas or information to the discussion, and generally strives to move the discussion in the direction of discovering the truth.
3. The angry response, with name calling, with references to knee-jerk reactions, personal ignorance, “you’re a dumbass,” and worse.
Of the first two, both of these types are frequently seen at FA, and I think most of us would agree that there is room for both. There is a degree of entertainment value in the first type of response, while the second response type is the only one of value for a serious minded person. Each of us may react differently to the third category, but I doubt that there are any who are actually pleased by it.
It is for this reason then that I put the question before you: What kind of a discussion do you want to have at Flopping Aces? What sort of responses do you want to read?