Should comments be allowed in ads posted in the Classifieds

THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITTEN BY GUS, the moderator of the Living in Taiwan forum. This post was NOT written by abcgirl

The messages below were carved out of a discussion in the “Living in Taiwan” forum (which I moderate)

Obviously, they did not belong in that thread. Normally, this would be sent to the Archives (to languish). However, the issues they do bring up are pretty interesting, so I’ve re-posted them here

I’ve closed this thread so that any further discussion will appear in one place: in the Open Forum and and here, too

quote:
Originally posted by Bu Lai En: Don't buy a puppy. If you do you're just encouraging those irresponsible people who sell cute little puppies that turn into poor starving stray dogs and then get killed by the council. If you want a dog get one from the pound. Where are you goingt o keep it though. Is it going to have a nice garden to run around in?

Please think about it a little before you continue the cycle of cruelty.

Bri


Bu Lai En! I see you’ve set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public. I like you. You remind me of when I was young and stupid. Not!

Richard: What’s your problem? You wanna make a personal attack on me, you should at least say what it is you’ve got a problem with. You don’t agree with my criticism of buying puppies in Taiwan? Well lots of other people do, it seems. ABCgirl, I think however good your intentions are buying a puppy still only encourages the industry that churns out the puppies that turn into stray (and then dead) dogs. Why not adopt a stray? Back to you Richard: tell me what you’ve got a problem with or just fu(k off.

Bri

Bri: What I want is an apology from flaming my ad for sale, calling me pathetic, etc. You started this for no reason but your own when you didn’t even know me. If you want my gloves to come down, apologize and I’ll put the issue to rest and everyone can go home happy.

quote[quote] What I want is an apology from flaming my ad for sale, calling me pathetic, etc. You started this for no reason but your own when you didn't even know me. If you want my gloves to come down, apologize and I'll put the issue to rest and everyone can go home happy [/quote]

Well if that’s what you want you really should have said so from the start. Let’s lay out the facts here:

  1. You post a classified asking 59000 for a used bike.

  2. At the time I read that post one or two people have stated their opinion that you are asking too much.

  3. I also say that I think you’re asking too much, that you can get a better deal, and that your bike’s ugly anyway. I didn’t attack you personally and didn’t even note your name. It was not personal

  4. Next time I log in, the post has been deleted and I find some stranger insulting me without reason or explanation all over the boards.

This is difficult because the original post has been deleted, so I don’t really know what happened. Firstly I’m pretty sure that I didn’t insult you personally. Also from what people have said, it seems to me that a whole lot of others attacked your post, probably getting quite personal. I guess they were mostly anonymous unregistered users. It seems to me that you’ve confused what others said with my name or that I was the only registered user, so because others insulted you, you’ve decided to lash back at me through association.

So what exactly do you want an apology for:

Personally insulting you? I’m pretty sure that I didn’t. If I’m incorrect in this, and the insult is unjustified, I will happily apologise.

Questioning your asking price for the bike? Actually I think there’s nothing wrong with doing this. If it’s a good price, my saying otherwise shouldn’t hurt your chances fo a sale.

Calling you pathetic? That came after you vengefully overreacted by attacking me on several forums in quite an insulting manner.

Saying your bike is ugly? OK, that’s just a personal feeling so I should have kept it to myself. I understand that some men are rather sensitive about their motrocycles, so I humbly apologise.

As for any comments I made after you started flaming me all over the place, you overreacted severly, acted really insultingly, and the whole time you didn’t even explain why? And you start demanding apologies from me?

quote[quote] If you are truly this in real life, then I truly feel sorry for your parents and wish you a speedy recovery from insanity [/quote]

No, I don’t want to meet you. Liek what in real life exactly? Are you like this in real life. You start insulting complete strangers in public at the slightest provocation? That’s why I really don’t want to meet you personally.

Oh yeah, sorry for calling your motorbike ugly.

Bri

Two related discussions about whether comments about classified ads are appropriate: here and here