This question has been on my mind for awhile.
Then I'm glad you asked it.
How come there are a couple of DS people who seem to be exempt from the board guidelines regarding personal attacks? It's like, it's not considered appropriate to post something that could be hurtful to someone, but it's allowed if it's something about Roger Davis??
No one is exempt from any board guidelines, including the ones addressing personal attacks, and that applies to both forum members and DS personnel.
I've heard comments from some posters that they decline saying anything negative about certain actors' performances because the latter has one or more staunch fans reading the boards, and as Dom mentioned, it's a matter of personal choice. I think this is admirable-- it shows a genuine concern for others on the boards-- but on the other hand, the official policy is that anyone has a right to share their opinions here and any attempts to intimidate someone else to keep them from expressing their opinion won't be tolerated.
So, I wonder, well...how does anyone know someone close to him, or a family member doesn't see this board occasionally? Apparently he married a fan, so it's conceivable his wife could read this board. Not likely, but possible nonetheless. No? I mean, if I were his wife, I would find a great many things said about him on here, quite hurtful. I know it could be said, "well, even a couple of actresses from the show have made disparaging comments about him in public, so it's all right". But does that make it all right then? See? I'm confused.
I wouldn't call it unlikely that an actor or their loved ones could come across such remarks. I haven't seen any evidence whatsoever that would lead me to believe that RD reads this forum, but I know he has read comments in the past that were made about him on other message boards, and I think it would naive to believe that anything said on an internet forum about a person will never be seen by them. As far as reading them here goes, though at the current time only registered members are allowed to read the forums, some have registered anonymously, and neither you nor I know the identity of all members, and rightly so. In addition, when the forum is reopened to guest traffic in the near future, everything said now will be archived (you have only to check out Current Talk I, II, and III to find evidence of this) and it'll therefore be available for guests to read at that time. So posters would be wise to keep in mind that what's said on an internet forum is hardly private. That also applies to sharing personal information about yourselves.
I guess I'm wondering if I'm totally missing something or my interpretation of things is off. For example: There's a popular actress from the show whose acting I think is quite poor. I don't think I would ever post that opinion though, because it doesn't seem appropriate and it might fall under a guideline. Would it??
If you mean would it violate a guideline to give your opinion about a popular actress on the show, my answer is no-- you absolutely have the right to diss the acting of any actor or actress. However, there's a good chance your opinion will get debated, which is of course perfectly within everyone else's rights too.
Eloquence isn't my strong point so please bear with me. I am going to take for granted that what you wrote is what you meant and respond accordingly. I've been active on the forum just a few weeks and have started paying strict attention to each and every post as a "moderator in training," if you will, for less than two weeks so I am bringing to the table little knowledge of what has transpired here before my arrival concerning issues about personal attacks on Roger Davis. I may have to defer to Midnite to answer your concerns regarding that issue specifically. I don't recall seeing any such posts.
What's this about eloquence not being your strong point, sweetie?
All I can add to what's already been said is that if there's something you've read about RD, DC or any DS actor that you feel was a comment about their personal behavior as opposed to private, then please feel free to point it out to me. Otherwise, I honestly can't think of an example of an inappropriate personal attack in a post. The incidents that come to my mind were comments about public behavior (i.e., in the case of Roger Davis: a performance, his behavior in front of a Fest audience, or published comments about him made by fellow actors).
