Ladies & Gentlemen- To paraphrase talk radio, long time reader, first time poster. I'd like to first thank the operators, moderators, and frequent posters on this board for all their work. In 2001, in search of a hobby, I encountered one of Dr. Bear's books at the Base Education Center (Thank you, sir!). Reading Dr. Bear's book started me down the path of education. In 2003, I found this website and have been lurking ever since, soaking up the knowledge available and enjoying the conversation. This past summer I finally finished my Associates degree and am now working on my Bachelors. It's taking me a while, because I actually enjoy taking classes and have only taken advantage of a few DANTES/CLEP tests. Unfortunately, you people are so darn convincing you've already got me looking at Master's programs!! Anyway, on to the question at hand. Besides this site, I also lurk on a couple of other Distance Learning forums. I am constantly amazed at the absolute hatred that many people here and elsewhere seem to have for individuals and/or other forums. When I read many posts in depth, everyone seems to have the same goals and only differ on a few (seemingly) minor points. Is there anything that can be done to mend these fences? I read many opinions here and elsewhere that I really value and I think this whole DL arena would be much less confusing if the "newbies" (such as me) didn't have to filter out the mean-spirited discussion. I'd really like to see posters from different forums join together to give us the value of ALL their expertise. If I have overstepped my bounds as a new poster, I apologize, but this has been bothering me for quite a while. To all, best wishes for the New Year. Respectfully, Ryan IV
Welcome Hi Ryan Congratulations on finishing your associate's degree. What area of study will you pursue next? I have also found this forum extremely helpful yet humorous. Good luck and welcome to the boards. Trish
This is only friendly bantering compared to how bad it used to be on the alt.distance.edu newsgroup. That used to be really bad. Welcome to our weird little (yet informative) world.
Thanks for the kind words, Ryan the Fourth! In the course of doing my PhD research in ancient times, I read a lot about what was then quaintly called "poison pen" letters. It seems to me that the Internet has made it possible for all the formerly-latent poison pen writers to flourish, because of the anonymity, and the ease of dispensing their poison, without even investing in a postage stamp. There used to be, perhaps still is, a field of psychotherapy that was called 'poison pen therapy,' in which disturbed people were encouraged to write 'hate' letters, to help get things out of their system. (The letters were not mailed.) Maybe there is some of that happening out there.
Everyone- Thanks for the kind welcome. Trish, I'm pursuing a degree in history. My personal passion is the life of the common soldier. There's a lot of information on famous generals (Ceaser, Patton, etc.), but little is known about the common soldier. As a "common" person myself, I really enjoy learning how the soldiers of ancient time lived, fought, etc. I hope Dr. Bear is right in saying that it's just people with problems making all these hateful statements. It seems sad that people have so little good in their life that they need to come online and spew hatred. S/F, Ryan IV
