I've been reading this board for some time because it has the promise of being a forum for families in Oregon and SW Washington to share info or insights regarding youth soccer in our communities. But I have been shocked by the lack of civility on most of the threads and how the most benign topic can lead people to high jack it with personal attacks and name calling.
I expect a small minority of trolls to show up on any forum and try to get a rise out of people, but the amount of animosity and the level of vitriol is really mind blowing. This is especially perplexing to me as we are talking youth soccer and not the usual charged political banter.
What really concerns me is whether people who speak so crassly about other clubs, other parents, other kids, other coaches, and the like, speak this way in front of their kids about the sport and other participants. I hope, perhaps blindly, that these forums allow people to enjoy some cathartic release and they keep it on the boards so as to not set poor examples of sportsmanship in front of their kids.
I'm no fluffy bunny pacifist and welcome fair, objective and even harsh criticism. But I would like to see people tone down the rhetoric and avoid making each topic so personal and brutal.
I expect a small minority of trolls to show up on any forum and try to get a rise out of people, but the amount of animosity and the level of vitriol is really mind blowing. This is especially perplexing to me as we are talking youth soccer and not the usual charged political banter.
What really concerns me is whether people who speak so crassly about other clubs, other parents, other kids, other coaches, and the like, speak this way in front of their kids about the sport and other participants. I hope, perhaps blindly, that these forums allow people to enjoy some cathartic release and they keep it on the boards so as to not set poor examples of sportsmanship in front of their kids.
I'm no fluffy bunny pacifist and welcome fair, objective and even harsh criticism. But I would like to see people tone down the rhetoric and avoid making each topic so personal and brutal.
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