Posted by Dinah on November 24, 2009, at 9:07:32
In reply to Re: drawing blood » Dr. Bob, posted by Dinah on November 24, 2009, at 7:13:12
You seem to see this as a face saving alternative to an apology to those who do not wish to make the concession of apologizing.
I'm ok with that. I'm ok with considering a retraction as a statement that someone realizes they oughtn't to have posted something.
I'm certainly ok with people editing technical issues in their post. Putting in their real name, correcting medication names, grammar or spelling errors, or clarifying something that seems difficult to understand on re-reading.
What I'm not ok with is the tacit undoing of what was done. The changing of something that people have likely already seen, to make it seem like that reality never happened. Either cowardice in trying to pretend they never did something they did do, or bullying by taunting people with things that then disappear, or gaslighting people to be unsure of what reality is. Maybe not even deliberately to hurt. Reality was a moving target at times growing up, not because of malice, but because reality was a moving target to my mother. It is a crazymaking situation, it is not fair, it provides an environment that makes bullying easier.
Providing a link to the original would do away with the objections of those to whom gaslighting is objectionable, while providing the opportunity of posters to withdraw what they wrote by amending it or to clarify what they meant if they unintentionally wrote something ambiguous. Or to fix what they wrote if they didn't understand the civility guidelines. If the problem is personal information, posters could contact Administration as they do now to amend the original post.
The original post would not have to be on the main board. It could be a link at the bottom next to "Edited on (date and time)". You wouldn't even need to put a time limit on editing, or link the ability to whether someone else has replied.
The original would not appear on the main board, and would not be googleable. So if people wish to remove something personal from their googleable babble profile they can do so even years later. With the original linkable from the post that replaces it.
Thus remaining a place of sanity and reality, preserving the historical record, and providing people with some remedy for their concerns about google.
A win win win win situation.
Dinah
poster:Dinah
thread:660662
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20091103/msgs/926804.html