Olive Branch

[Lady Sidhe]

Ok...how to start this? Simply and straightforwardly.

If anyone feels I've attacked them personally, I apologize. I won't apologize for being opinionated, because everyone here is, or we wouldn't be here.

I'm not trying to be offensive, and I'm not trying to piss people off. I'm not trying to be bitchy or caustic. If I have come across that way, I apologize.

The truth is, I really like to debate. I like hearing other people's points of view, even if I don't agree with them. The people I'm used to arguing with argue the same way I do, and it's all in fun. We don't take differing opinions personally, and we don't consider it a negative personality trait if someone vehemently disagrees with us (for instance, I'm pagan, my best friend in the world is christian--we argue about prayer in schools all the time, but we don't try to change one another's mind--we just talk about why we believe in our position, and when it's over, there are no hard feelings).

I seem to provoke a lot of people here, or rub them the wrong way, and for the life of me, I'm really not sure why. Call me dense, but I don't see why the fact that I believe in my opinions very strongly and refuse to change them (I don't just make up opinions-I've arrived at them after much consideration) makes me a bitch. I try not to be mean, or attack anyone personally, or disparage or insult anyone.

I'm a nice person, and I'm easy to get along with. Just because I disagree with someone doesn't mean I have anything against them personally. For instance, In re the death penalty, I'm not trying to CHANGE people's minds. On something like that, there really isn't any way. I'm just posting something that outrages me, and stating my feelings on that subject. I'm not insisting that anyone agree with me, but neither do I feel that I must change my own opinion. If you don't agree with my opinion, that's fine. But acting as if the fact that I hold such-and-such opinion means that I am somehow flawed is---I just don't get that.

So, in closing, I will say again that I am not intentionally trying to provoke anyone. Unfortunately, I'm not as well-spoken as smoothmoniker (damn, I wish I was!), so if anyone has suggestions as to how I can state my opinions in a non-flame-provokative way, some way I can post differently that won't cause a gang-up, I welcome them. I like most of you, and respect your opinions, whether I agree with you or not. I'd like to keep coming here, and maybe figuring out how to approach my posts differently will facilitate that.

Just state them civilly, please, and don't use this as a way to criticize. I KNOW lots of you don't like me--no need to keep repeating it.


Thanks,

Sidhe