The CycleChat Helmet Debate Thread

[mjr]

It does periodically, until it gets started up again.

If only the restarts were limited to new information and not only new people posting the same old common (non)sense.

 

[swansonj]

Hence my tendency to ask people whether or not they have read the thread.

I do, however, think it is not reasonable to expect people to read 300 pages. That, if enforced, would end up rather exclusive. As has been suggested before, we need a way of avoiding undue repetition of helmets 101 whilst still making it possible for new people to join and input to a rolling thread.

 

[ufkacbln]

What is interesting is the constant and short appearances of some pro helmet advocates who disappear when legitimately challenged

 

[Phil Fouracre]

What is interesting is the constant and short appearances of some pro helmet advocates who disappear when legitimately challenged

That's exactly my point! How many times has this got to be repeated? In favour of wearing a helmet - not in favour of wearing one - end of!!! What could be simpler?

 

[Tanis8472]

Debate it

 

[EnPassant]

So what should be done every time a new person comes along with a definitely saved his life story and anyone who doesn't wear one is an idiot?

TMN them

 

[swansonj]

So what should be done every time a new person comes along with a definitely saved his life story and anyone who doesn't wear one is an idiot?

Do you not feel there is a risk that we end up instead saying that anyone who is not long-standing enough - senior enough, part of the inner circle of seniority- in Cyclechat is denied the opportunity to shape the thread? Personally I think there are some things where each generation is entitled to make their own mistakes even if they are the same mistakes the previous generation made.

 

[newfhouse]

Do you not feel there is a risk that we end up instead saying that anyone who is not long-standing enough - senior enough, part of the inner circle of seniority- in Cyclechat is denied the opportunity to shape the thread? Personally I think there are some things where each generation is entitled to make their own mistakes even if they are the same mistakes the previous generation made.

Anyone can post in this thread but surely nonsense shouldn't be left unchallenged. If it's not nonsense then surely they will be able to accept a little scrutiny. If somebody makes an offensive post - as sometimes happens - wishing death or injury on idiotic cyclists for not wearing a plastic hat, how should people respond?

Edit: @User13710 was far more succinct

 

[Mugshot]

The 300 page thread is one of the reasons why I didn't want a 300 page thread, I personally preferred the individual threads in their own sub-section, although they did tend to get closed down far too quickly in my opinion.
But hey ho, not my house

 

[swansonj]

For the avoidance of doubt, yes of course, I think people who post nonsense, and offensive nonsense in particular, should be called out on it and have their views challenged. They should be criticised for being stupid and for being arrogant - but not for having missed that their precise point was previously made on page 23 and rebutted on page 26.

 

[Phil Fouracre]

I'm all in favour of as much discussion as possible, would hate to restrict anyone's right to comment. It just strikes me that if you intend to join an obviously 'long ongoing' discussion you would perhaps glance at a few previous posts to 'get a feel' of what's been discussed. If then, as suggested earlier, you felt that you had something blindingly insightful to add, then yup, add away. It's the constant pointless repetition of the same old, same old, that I find so irritating.

 

[EnPassant]

As somebody who read through it all (admittedly when it was only a miniscule 248 pages) I personally cannot see that a separate forum or sub forum is any more intrusive than a separate thread.

That way you can put the salient points from each camp into a non-appendable sticky (nice job for somebody unbiased ) and the rest is still kept separate from infecting everywhere else in exactly the same way one thread does. Then you could point all newcomers to the sticky and go from there. Would have saved me some work, though personally I quite enjoyed the journey.

 

[newfhouse]

They should be criticised for being stupid and for being arrogant - but not for having missed that their precise point was previously made on page 23 and rebutted on page 26.

How about a compromise? What if they are encouraged to read at least twenty pages, follow some of the links and then actually engage with the counter arguments?

 

[swansonj]

How about a compromise? What if they are encouraged to read at least twenty pages, follow some of the links and then actually engage with the counter arguments?

Exactly - either the first twenty or the most recent twenty or a selected sticky twenty - but something more realistic than all three hundred.

 

[Big Andy]

Delete the last 280 pages