I’m Getting Grumpy

Oh dear. I am turning into one of those grumpy old men who talk about how it was in the “old days”. But I am not the only one who is grumpy.

I have posted a few things on social media recently about guns, particularly in the USA. While I know it is a sensitive issue, I figured that avoiding the issue was doing nothing so how about a civil conversation or debate.

Now I have some lovely friends in the USA who are passionate about their guns and while I have a different perspective, I also respect their right to have a different belief.

Then the trolls came.

Somewhere along the way, we have lost the ability to have a civil discussion that attacks an issue and not the person delivering it. It is great to get passionate but it is not nice, pleasant or appropriate to convert a discussion about an issue into a personal attack. So often I see a comment “You’re/They’re an idiot” or “only fools would believe …” This does nothing to progress the discussion and only drags it down.

Now this holds true whether you are discussing guns, office policies, strategic directions or the best way to pack a car. It holds true in private discussions, work discussions and even the political discussions we are seeing of late.

We seem to have lost the ability to tolerate an opinion that doesn’t match our own, listen with an open mind and then construct a logical argument to support our own beliefs all while being willing to change our opinion if we are proven wrong.

My commitment is to stop being grumpy and focus solely on the issue as well as ensuring my arguments focus on logic and facts rather than attacking an individual and getting carried away with emotion.

What about you? Will you join me in the Anti-Grump?