A Delete button

[powerboy]

It would be nice to have a thread delete button and a post delete button. Kinda like we do at CS.com

[Rapscallion]

I'd like to think that people who post here are saying things they are willing to stand by.

Rapscallion

[Ree]

Exactly!

I can never understand people who backtrack and delete posts after they are confronted on an issue.

I can understand deleting if a post was accidentally posted twice, or if a member has second thoughts about a topic, but on this site, if a person is going to make a thread, it's usually something they have put some thought into, so I don't understand wanting to delete.

On CS, it's a different type of board. Members may have posted something about their job, and then, out of fear that a manager or coworker may see it, they consider deleting, but that's a totally different idea.

When people just delete their own posts because they have said something colossally insensitive or stupid and get called on it, I think they take the coward's way out by deleting.

If you were a big enough boy to make the post, then be a big boy and stand by your words, in my opinion.

If it's bad enough, a mod will delete anyway.

[Seshat]

There's always the option of saying "I was wrong". I've done that many times on this board.

A large part of the reason for this board (and boards like it) is to expose us to different opinions and new pieces of information. Testing our ideas and values against opinions and facts we didn't have before makes us stronger, better people - and ensures that we'll find out we were wrong about some things.

There's nothing wrong, and everything right, about changing your mind in view of new information. Be proud of saying you were wrong!

[powerboy]

The only thing, if they say that they were wrong. Someone can still be a jackass about it and call them out.

And this is not just about me. I will man up and say when I am wrong.

[JuniorMintz]

The only thing, if they say that they were wrong. Someone can still be a jackass about it and call them out.

You forget that when someone is obviously being a jackass, they're probably going to get called out on it themselves.

[Seshat]

I need a translation. 'call them out'?

Do you mean say something like 'you said X then, you say Y now, aren't you being inconsistent?' To which my response would be 'as I said in post Z, I changed my mind in the light of new evidence'.

If you mean something else, I need that translation. Sorry.

[the_std]

Seshat, it's probably more of a "ha ha ha, you were wrong, neener neener neener" type of thing. Y'know, people wanting to make themselves feel big.

In that case, powerboy, you just have to be the bigger man and shrug it off and, if it they were being vindictive or mean about it, report it. Just because this is a controversial discussion website doesn't mean that people are allowed to be insulting.

Yeah, it stings to admit you're wrong, and it stings even more when people point it out, but learn from it and move on. Everyone has to, at some point.

[AFPheonix]

It happens a lot on message boards when someone performs thread necromancy just to comment on something someone said months ago that was pretty stupid, regardless of whether the person recanted in a later post.

[Boozy]

I can't remember for sure, but didn't something like that happen on CS awhile back? I seem to recall seeing all these old threads appearing out of nowhere. I mean, these threads were dead and gone for months. Until someone pulled them all out of retirement to make some snide comment.

Now all the old threads on CS are locked, which I think is probably a wise choice.

[Rapscallion]

Aye - there was a rash of old threads being coming back with very short replies. I was rather grateful for the modification that allowed us to close all threads over a certain age. We selected six months as the criteria for that, and it's served us well so far.

Rapscallion

[Seshat]

Seshat, it's probably more of a "ha ha ha, you were wrong, neener neener neener" type of thing. Y'know, people wanting to make themselves feel big.

Ah. And only achieving making themselves look incredibly juvenile. Gotcha.