I do feel sorry that some people percieve the forum too bitchy or mean... I haven't really noticed that myself. But I do agree with Janaki's point that due to the cultural and language differences AND written media being the channel between us, a lot of misinterpretations can occur.
I have said it before that the forum is what we ourselves make of it. So please, raise your voice in the appropriate threads. Ok, so maybe newcomers are a bit scared to express their opinions in the beginning... But the people who have been around longer and feel that discussions are getting out of hand, could remind us to play nice every now and then, and give friendly explanations as good examples. I think the point of this forum should be that people can express their opinions - be it beliefs on the essence of dance or on the ways of communication.
In case you feel that public "intervention" over the thread is too much, you can always send private messages... I've used them a few times, to clear things out and it works. There is nothing unfair about private messaging unless you use it for gossiping behind other people's backs!
Can we make a pact, that we will continue speaking our mind, but we will take a moment to read and think over how we've expressed ourselves before hitting that "submit reply" button? And don't forget, that we're having this discussion over Christmas - the season of love and understanding.
