Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one. Everybody's entitled to their opinion. But I'm not required to reflect every opinion in this blog even in the comment section. I just need one asshole.
You may want to read this article on stupid comments: http://heresthenews.blogspot.sg/2013/10/science-wants-last-word-im-ok-with-that.html
It sums up my view of most comments and commenters.
Simply put, I welcome comments that inform, educate, or entertain. Note that many comments on other blogs or websites are none of this. They are a waste of time.
So before you comment, please ask yourself, is your comment informative or entertaining. If you simply wish to share an opinion, are you also providing the reasoning for how you arrived at your opinion, or am I supposed to accept your divinely-inspired opinion as a matter of faith. If the latter, GFY.
[Alternative viewpoints well-argued (or at least coherent) will be considered, but if it is an ongoing debate with polarised position, this blog will reflect my (current) position. There is no point rehashing debates conducted elsewhere ad nauseum, here. There is no traffic here. No one of significance to debate with you, and no audience to see you win your arguments.
I will be the sole arbiter of what is well-argued (or coherent).
If your comments include a fresh, valid and relevant point or counter point. I will keep it, if for no other reason than to remind myself that that particular point is still valid and relevant and needs to be addressed. Or I need to reassess my thoughts and position on that particular issue. ]
Comments that are obviously trying to get me to visit your blogs (or some other website) will be ignored, and will almost certainly be deleted. Not to be confused with links to websites that you are citing to support your argument. And not to be confused with the logical fallacy of appealing to popularity. If your comment consists mainly of, "Ya, I agree. so-and-so at this [website] also said the same", it would likely be deleted. Because truth is not democratically determined (just because another person thinks like you/agrees with you, does not mean you are right. It just means YOLO - You Obviously Lack Originality.)
Comments that are obviously trying to sell me something will be deleted with extreme prejudice. (Well, as extreme as it gets here).
Comments that are obviously pursuing some tedious agenda will be deleted.
Comments that hint at some hackneyed, cock-eyed, conspiracy theory will be given all due consideration (i.e. ignored with extreme apathy followed by gleeful deletion, or if the conspiracy theory is particularly good, I might just read it for entertainment value. - I like conspiracy theories. They are entertaining, educational, and you can learn a lot from them).
All that said, I do welcome well-argued and bona fide comments, but I suspect by now you may question my sincerity in saying that.
I guess what I mean to say is, if you crafted a well-intentioned, and well-researched (or just amply paranoid) comment and posted it here, do keep a copy somewhere else. If I heartlessly delete it, it would be gone forever.
http://xkcd.com/1357/
See also:
http://heresthenews.blogspot.sg/2014/04/skim-deep-reading-gives-skin-deep-grasp.html
