Bullfighting FORUM




 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction
FORUM

Introduction

Various pages on this site provide a Forum. For technical reasons,  it hasn't been possible to include this Forum on the page Bullfighting: arguments against and action against, a very long page.

Here, you can comment on the page, make criticisms,  discuss issues mentioned on the page or  raise new issues with a linkage to matters I discuss on the page.

The Forum is for people with an interest in defending or opposing the corrida - loosely, 'bullfighting' - or simply an interest in some of the issues, such as ethical and aesthetic ones. Obviously, anything you write won't necessarily be endorsed by me, and, as moderator, I  reserve the right not to accept a contribution. I intend to exercise the right as rarely as possible. Obviously, any contributions which seem clearly libellous or which call for violence or other extremist action, won't be accepted.

Please follow these simple guidelines if you want to publish on the Forum.  I want to be able to copy and paste your contribution into the Forum section as it is, so a standard format is very useful. Even if  the guidelines aren't followed, though, a contribution will probably be published (unless it's libellous or obviously extremist.)

1. Send me your comments for publication in an email addressed to paulhurt@linkagenet.com I undertake not to pass on your email address to any third party and not to use the email address to email you. (Ordinary emails to me will obviously be answered.)

2. In the Subject section of your email write: bullfightingforum.

3. Write your message as it's to be published.

Begin with the date you send the message, in the form day- month [written as a word] - year, eg

10 October 2012 

Don't include a salutation such as 'Hi' or 'Dear Mr Hurt.'

Don't conclude with 'Best Wishes' or something similar. Simply give your real name or chosen pseudonym.  A real name will be made up of two names or more, such as 'John Smith,' or a surname preceded by an initial, or initials, such as 'J Smith.' A pseudonym will be made up of one word, such as 'radicaloptimist.'

4. Don't include any emoticon, such as a smiling or sad face.

6. After giving the date, give the main text. If you're commenting on a previous post, give a reference to the date of the previous post, so the post can be found easily.

7. With great regret, I'd ask that you don't include any questions to me, such as 'Could you give me more information about ... ?' or 'Why did you fail to ... ?' This isn't because I'm afraid to answer questions or not able to answer questions but because I don't have the time to answer most questions. There are over 70 pages on the site, most of which I have to revise and extend. It may well be that I've actually answered the question, if not on this page then on another page.

For the same reason, lack of time, it's unlikely that I can give an answer to criticisms. An unanswered criticism shouldn't be seen as evidence that I'm afraid to answer the criticism or not able to answer the criticism. I don't have the time to answer most criticisms.

Any comments of my own will be in square brackets, with my name:

[ ...

Paul Hurt]

An example of a contribution which follows the guidelines:

10 October 2012

You mention bullfighting in Latin American countries hardly at all.  I'd recommend the Website www [dot] bettersite [dot] com for a much fuller discussion of the issues.

radicalpessimist

(But contributions can be written in a much more animated style than that.)

Forums on this site, including this Forum, are unusual in allowing for revision of a contribution and removal of a contribution in some cases: there must be many people who regret sending a contribution to the comments section of a Website or blog, the contribution having been written, perhaps, when very tired. I'll let you replace your contribution with a revised version or I'll remove it at your request, provided that it hasn't been challenged or discussed by someone else.

I hope, though, that revision or removal won't be requested very often. I hope that contributors will revise their work before sending it, will try to be as fair-minded as possible, and will try to avoid  factual inaccuracy. If this deters very casual people, good. The decision to release something into the public domain shouldn't be taken lightly, if a person aims to make a contribution of any value.

I'm familiar with established systems for implementing comments on Websites and blogs, such as Disqus,  IntenseDebate and Livefyre, but decided that they have features which are off-putting, including problems to do with reliability and spamming.

My interest is in contributions which are thoughtful, well-argued, not at all simplistic, as well as contributions which are very concise, without any extended argument,  but which provide an insight which isn't routine or stale, or which isn't routine in expression: at the very least, contributions which aren't moronic. The established systems may offer  seamless integration with Twitter or Facebook. It's more important by far to address the problem of  moronic contributions to Websites and blogs, to Twitter and Facebook, generated in such vast quantity.

This is an age of gigantism, the delusion that vast quantity is a guarantee of vast significance.  What does it matter if it's  a heap of garbage, what does it matter if it's dross? The important thing is that it's such a very big heap! Who cares about what's more valuable - gold, for instance - if there's such a small quantity?

FORUM