Are you Accountable?

[Guest]

(Disclaimer: Everything has been said on this board before, and I don't claim this is original. However, the past is the past, scrolled off, long gone, or available only to the select few who still have it in their subscriptions or can kick the search mule into working. Therefore...I post. )

Comments: we get them on what we write and we post them on what other people write. But how accountable are we (or others) for what is said in those comments? By accountable, I mean answerable, responsible, or expected to give "a statement or exposition of reasons, causes, or motives. A reason for an action" (Merriam-Webster Online).

When you leave a comment on someone's story or post a response to what they say in a forum, are you automatically responsible to answer for your reasons, causes, motives or (in the case of voting) actions? That is, if you leave a comment, is the person who received the comment entitled to argue with you, ask you to explain, or otherwise require you to account for what you said?

Do you think being accountable keeps people honest or that anonymity best protects honesty?

Is the idea of accountability not applicable to stories and comments on Literotica?

The poll is Multiple Choice. Please select what applies best or closest to your thoughts.


MY OPINION (in case you give a rat's ass, I thought I'd put it here).

In most places and situations of our lives, we are held responsible and accountable for what we say and do -- while others may not like our choices and opinions and we are free to have them and speak them, we are still required to accept consequences for them, whatever those consequences may be. If I leave a comment, I am responsible for what I say, and I will not put anonymous comments on anything. I will also not hide my contact information. Should someone disagree or take offense at what I say, so be it. I am not required to enter into a defense of my opinion, but I am required by my own sense of what is right to stand up and declare that I said it.

 

[Lucifer_Carroll]

Under my morality, it makes sense to account for what you have said and to clarify what you meant if pressed. It doesn't make you accountable to spend your life explaining the comment in multiple ways or debating the validity, but at the very least a quick comment justifying or explaining.

Now the problem does break down sometimes over the issue inherent in whether you make it back in time or at all to answer a question you never saw. Is one accountable for that even though they never ended up seeing the cry for clarification. Did they still owe one? Probably, but its more forgiveable.

 

[impressive]

That is, if you leave a comment, is the person who received the comment entitled to argue with you, ask you to explain, or otherwise require you to account for what you said?

If asked (i.e., if a thread's started for discussion), I may ... or may not ... provide my opinion. It is just that: an opinion. I do not attempt to persuade others to my way of thinking by extensive debate on the issue, although if asked for clarification I may ... or may not *grin* ... provide it.

As for critique, I will not hide behind Anonymous. However, I've learned that those who really desire and value my opinion will ask for it BEFORE posting the piece. After it's posted, most primarily want stroked ... and, if appropriate, I do stroke. If not, I follow the old maxim: If you can't say anything nice ...

 

[Guest]

 

[kendo1]

Yes, I do care what I say.
I do not want to offend someone. Unless they deserve it-re White power nutters.
I do speak my mind; it's not large, but hey, who cares.
If I need to I will defend my opinion.

Note that I say opinion. Others have their opinions too, and should be respected for such. Even if I do not agree.(Apart from White power)

Ken

 

[HappyLlama]

I'm with him^

 

[FallingToFly]

Hmm...

I often post anonymous comments, but rather than trying to hide who it is, it's a matter of being too damn lazy to log* in for every single comment I make in a day's time. I average about three comments a day, I'd guess. Sometimes I log in, sometimes I don't, more often: I don't. As I said, it's laziness.

I don't leave troll comments. I may occasionally leave a comment along the lines of "This was a really good idea, but a little more refinement and editing would have made it an excellent story"- and then direct them to the EF, but that's about as harsh as I get. I generally only comment or send feedback if I genuinely like the story.

I've been known to fluff an ego here and there, usually with people I've encouraged to join this site, and are posting their first few submissions. I do that anonymously. I know a LOT of young (as in, 18-21) authors and I invite them all to try Lit. Therefor, I feel like I owe them encouragement, before the trolls run them off. (We lose more writers* to trolls than anything else, you know?) I read a lot of Lit stories, all the time, looking for good ones, and encouraging and praising those authors. The bad ones, I ignore.

There are writers in the AH that, although I love them as people, I can't read their work. I try to, but it either strikes me in a very bad way or I simply don't like their writing style, so I don't read them. The Danica series is one like that- the writing is so incredible, but the story makes me spit nails, (I get too involved with characters) so I avoid it, even when it tries to suck me in. I also can't read anything in Incest, Anal, or Fetish.. they leave a bad taste in my mouth. Whatever gets you off is fine, I just really can't get into things that I personally have issues with, for whatever reasons.

I try to give honest opinions when asked for them. I appreciate honesty, however rare it may be, from readers, and I try to return the courtesy regardless. So, now that I've been brutally honest... skipping off to finish laundry.

(Had to go back and edit for errors and stuff... gods I'm knackered today!)

 

[kendo1]

Hmm...

I often post anonymous comments, but rather than trying to hide who it is, it's a matter of being too damn lazy to long in for every single comment I make in a day's time. I average about three comments a day, I'd guess. Sometimes I log in, sometimes I don't, more often I don't. As I said, it's laziness.

I don't leave troll comments. I may occasionally leave a comment along the lines of "This was a really good idea, but a little more refinement and editing would have made it an excellent story"- and then direct them to the EF, but that's about as harsh as I get. I generally only comment or send feedback if I genuinely like the story.

I've been known to fluff an ego here and there, usually with people I've encouraged to join this site, and are posting their first few submissions. I do that anonymously. I know a LOT of young (as in, 18-21) authors and I invite them all to try Lit. Therefor, I feel like I owe them encouragement, before the trolls run them off. (We lose more writer's to trolls than anything else, you know?) I read a lot of Lit stories, all the time, looking for good ones, and encouraging and praising those authors. The bad ones, I ignore.

There are writers in the AH that, although I love them as people, I can't read their work. I try to, but it either strikes me in a very bad way or I simply don't like their writing style, so I don't read them. The Danica series is one like that- the writing is so incredible, but the story makes me spit nails, (I get too involved with characters) so I avoid it, even when it tries to suck me in. I also can't read anything in Incest, Anal, or Fetish.. they leave a bad taste in my mouth. Whatever gets you off is fine, I just really can't get into things that I personally have issues with, for whatever reasons.

I try to give honest opinions when asked for them. I appreciate honesty, however rare it may be, from readers, and I try to return the courtesy regardless. So, now that I've been brutally honest... skipping off to finish laundry.

So why haven't you commented on mine? Hm?


*Taps fingers*


Ken

 

[FallingToFly]

So why haven't you commented on mine? Hm?


*Taps fingers*


Ken

I may have? I honestly couldn't tell you unless I went back and read the comments if I'd left one.

 

[kendo1]

*Taps fingers*

 

[FallingToFly]

*Taps fingers*

*shoves towards his member page* Begone wit' ye, bla' guard!

 

[neonlyte]

Yes - but only to the point where people are prepared to listen to my opinion reasonably. It is a two way street, if you are a writer and a reader. One can't post stories and solicite comment without being prepared to receive a range of comments (forget the malicious, they are easy to spot). If genuine and constructive 'negative' feedback offends, then switch of PC's, or stop writing. The only anonymous comment I've ever posted was by accident, and I informed the author immediately that I wrote the comment.

Receiving, understanding, and accepting constructive feedback requires a certain maturity. Those that lack the maturity are unlikely to respond favourably and the inevitable happens. I don't have a great deal of time for those people, and would be unlikely to read another of their stories if my comments could not be taken onboard without resorting to petulant behaviour. One arrives at the point where most anonymous feedback can be disregarded, the exception as I have recently discovered, is the Incest catagory, where all the anonymous feedback has been worthy of celebration, I can understand why readers hide behind anonymity for that catagory.

 

[kendo1]

Tee hee!

 

[Goldie Munro]

I am anonymous on here to the extent that no-one (apart from a few!) know the real me but that does not stop me from being accountable for my comments - who I am here is me and I should be accountable for my comments - whether its the 'real' me or not.

Shit that doesnt make much sense does it!

 

[kendo1]

I am anonymous on here to the extent that no-one (apart from a few!) know the real me but that does not stop me from being accountable for my comments - who I am here is me and I should be accountable for my comments - whether its the 'real' me or not.

Shit that doesnt make much sense does it!

Nope!

We are all anonymous.
But! We stand proudly before our AV's.
I think that is what is meant.

 

[Guest]

I am anonymous on here to the extent that no-one (apart from a few!) know the real me but that does not stop me from being accountable for my comments - who I am here is me and I should be accountable for my comments - whether its the 'real' me or not.

Shit that doesnt make much sense does it!

I'll clarify that by "anonymity" I mean giving the person upon whom you comment no way at all to reply to you or ask you a question -- no contact information. Even if you use a "name" here, if you don't allow email or PMs (and I've met those who do not) and you do not allow comments on your stories (also met those) you are, for all practical purposes, anonymous.


Which brings up a side question -- how do people feel about those who post their stories without allowing voting or comments, (public or private) but who post comments to other people's work?

 

[Quiet_Cool]

I voted the last one. I think Imp (and a few others, in different ways) managed a good description of how I feel on this topic. I may be mistaken, so I'll try to explain real quick in my own words. Whether or not I feel compelled to explain is based solely on how I feel that response will be recieved. If I sense wolves waiting to pounces, they can fuck off if I don't feel like answering. If I feel someone's fishing for a compliment, then they needn't fuck off, but they won't receive said compliment unless I mean it. If they're arguing with me, meaning not wanting to insult me but acting as though my statement, not in agreeance with theirs, should be changed by what they say to me, or in response to what i say, see the "fuck off" comment already listed.

I'll explain to someone who wants to understand my point, not to someone who wants to insult or argue.

Q_C

 

[rgraham666]

Marked off everything that began with 'Yes'.

I always stand by my comments and posts, always attach my name to 'em as well.

I'm a big fan of responsibility after all.

 

[kendo1]

I just received an anonymous comment from Falling to Fly.

 

[oggbashan]

If

If I post a PC or send feedback I consider myself accountable for what I write and I am prepared to discuss it with the writer if that's what they want.

I never send either anonymously.

However, as I have said before, I find it extremely difficult to comment or send feedback on people's stories. Whatever I think of the story is too coloured by my own experiences and attitudes.

I can appreciate a well written story in a category that I cannot empathise with e.g. interracial or gay male yet I do not consider myself qualified to comment in a meaningful way.

I find that analysing the structure and mechanics of a story tends to destroy my enjoyment of it - my suspension of disbelief has to be put aside if I produce a critique.

I am quite willing to offer advice about a work-in-progress to anyone who thinks that I might be able to help with a topic within my knowledge but that advice is not mandatory. If anything I write on the draft seems helpful, then please use it. If my advice isn't helpful then the author is at liberty to ignore it without offending me. The completed work is the author's responsibility, not mine, no matter how much I might have influenced its development.

Once a completed work is posted, unless there are obvious errors that can be easily corrected, I try not to criticise, nor to deconstruct the whole to examine the parts. If there are obvious errors, and I make them as most of us do sometimes despite extensive editing, then I think that a PM or feedback, neither of which are visible to the general reader, are better ways to correct errors than a PC.

If you get a PC from me, it will say that it is from me - clearly.

If I am tempted to vote down a story, I probably won't. I'd send a PM or feedback if I thought that what is wrong is correctable. If I can't appreciate the story then I will backclick and leave it alone. It might be me that is the problem, not the posted story.

Og

 

[FallingToFly]

I just received an anonymous comment from Falling to Fly.

The lazy flutterbug... she should be squished!

Oh, wait....

You already did that

 

[FallingToFly]

The lazy flutterbug... she should be squished!

Oh, wait....

You already did that

I should have clarified... I attach a sig of some sort to 9/10ths of my Anonymous comments, either Falling or FtF, and always mark myself as from teh AH. If they want to, they can find me.

 

[Liar]

When I say something, in a comment, a post or anywhere else, I speak my mind.

That doesn't mean I have to be a jerk. Honesty should not hurt anyone's feelings, unless delivered in an incompetent way.

 

[Joe Wordsworth]

I have always advocated, and likely will continue to advocate, full personal accountability for everything proposed as a true thing by any person.

Opinions, those things understood to be or clarified as (as needed), reflecting nothing of truth or accuracy about the world and limited to the range of values between "I think this, but am likely wrong" to "I think this, and don't know if right or wrong"... are not subject to validation.

Soft-facts including "I think this is right" or "I think this is true" or "My personal experience says this is right or true" or "Generally, this is true" or "Common sense dictates that this is true" or any subset of a thing not entirely opinion and asserting a forward proposition as accurate... subject to validation.

We are accountable for all things we consider truth, if we were not then we ought accept that we are just being full of it whenever we say anything and voluntarily sacrifice our credibility and any rights to a claim of being "intelligent" or "wise" or "learned".

 

[angelicminx]

I'm always accountable for the things I say. I've never left an anonymous comment anywhere, and I always sign my comments ~Minx, just in case Lit doesn't log me in for a public comment before it posts.

As a general rule I don't get into political debates. Recall the saying, "I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person" (or something to that effect)?" Well, I'm the unarmed person. If I do get involved, it's for a very damned good reason, lol.

I'm with QC though, I'll explain to someone who wants to understand my point, not argue with me. I don't have the energy to argue anymore.

For the side question: Ugh! I hate not being able to comment or send feedback when I want to. I couldn't care less if I can vote or not on those pieces. When I have something to say about them, by hell I want to be able to say it, lol.