personal stories

[thepoint]

so, when somebody uses their personal background [say being a domestic violence victim, being raised in aparticular religion, having a phd in psychology] to claim a particular expertise or understanding of an issue, is it unacceptable to express one's Disbelief in the poster's story ?... seems to me, if it's ok to congratulate, applaud, sympathize with, give special credence to posters of those personal backgrounds... it should be ok to express one's disbelief.
imo.

[Sturgeon_Moon]

Originally Posted by thepoint

so, when somebody uses their personal background [say being a domestic violence victim, being raised in aparticular religion, having a phd in psychology] to claim a particular expertise or understanding of an issue, is it unacceptable to express one's Disbelief in the poster's story ?... seems to me, if it's ok to congratulate, applaud, sympathize with, give special credence to posters of those personal backgrounds... it should be ok to express one's disbelief.
imo.

I agree.

imo

[snoop sister]

As for my part, I think it makes a difference how you say it. Being rude or sarcastic doesn't seem right to me.

[Suzy Q]

Since there is no way to verify whether or not a poster is being truthful about personal experiences, I tend to believe what people say. I don't assume people have "agendas" that would cause them to lie or make up stories. I do believe the longer and more frequently a person posts, you can see patterns develop and also determine if their stories seem authentic to you. If someone is making up a wild story, that person has some real problems and we should probably tread lightly. I also know that truth is often stranger than fiction.

[lorettalockhorn]

My tendency is to give people the benefit of the doubt until I see a pattern of posts that makes her/him appear to be completely biased or unbelieveable. For instance, if someone claims to be in the medical profession and then gives an explanation or a for instance that wouldn't be suitable for even Wikipedia, I lose faith. I also have a huge problem with people using their "expertise" to suffice for posting truth as fact rather than simply stating that something is in their personal experience or merely anecdotal.

And I'm on the record for calling people out for posting BS.

[hawgustusgloop]

Originally Posted by lorettalockhorn

My tendency is to give people the benefit of the doubt until I see a pattern of posts that makes her/him appear to be completely biased or unbelieveable. For instance, if someone claims to be in the medical profession and then gives an explanation or a for instance that wouldn't be suitable for even Wikipedia, I lose faith. I also have a huge problem with people using their "expertise" to suffice for posting truth as fact rather than simply stating that something is in their personal experience or merely anecdotal.

And I'm on the record for calling people out for posting BS.

I agree. I usually take what posters say at face value unless they contradict themselves. For example, if someone claims that he knew and liked the victim and some of her family, then months later says he didn't know any of them, I stop believing anything he says about his relationship to the case and his motivations.

[jantunf]

Originally Posted by lorettalockhorn

My tendency is to give people the benefit of the doubt until I see a pattern of posts that makes her/him appear to be completely biased or unbelieveable. For instance, if someone claims to be in the medical profession and then gives an explanation or a for instance that wouldn't be suitable for even Wikipedia, I lose faith. I also have a huge problem with people using their "expertise" to suffice for posting truth as fact rather than simply stating that something is in their personal experience or merely anecdotal.

And I'm on the record for calling people out for posting BS.

I usually work from the ground up when it comes to trust. I know I am a brand new poster but hopefully people take me seriously, haha. I think it's better to start by not trusting someone and then trusting them when they build that. That way you are never disappointed if someone disappoints you.

That's not to say that I am rude to other people until they prove me otherwise but I am distant.