[mou] religion, money, sex, and, now, birding?

Tue Aug 14 16:33:24 EDT 2007

To Sharon (and others),

The point is, there is a point when disagreement does become PERSONAL, and there are some out there that don't know where to stop.  That is what we need to try to avoid.

Sometimes records committees don't just find your report "unacceptable", they go the extra mile, i.e., they do everything in their power to embarass one in public.  If you poo poo that because it hasn't happened to you yet, you are fortunate, and I hope for your sake it doesn't happen to you.

Sometimes your documentation is good, and you've even included photos, drawings and YOUR NOTEBOOK of observations, one can't just look at themselves and say it was their fault.

I'm sorry if you don't consider insults to be "hostile".  We should be striving to a) not provoke others to insult us and b) not insulting others even when we are so mad we can't stand it.  Then we will have a good community to be proud of.

Richard

Richard L. Wood, Ph. D.
Hastings, MN
rwoodphd at yahoo.com

----- Original Message ----
From: Sharon Stiteler <birdchick at gmail.com>
To: Jim Williams <two-jays at att.net>
Cc: Richard Wood <rwoodphd at yahoo.com>; mou-net at moumn.org
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 2:36:56 PM
Subject: Re: [mou] religion, money, sex, and, now, birding?

LOL, Jim!

Okay, I thought all the disagreement and discussion was part of the fun.  And honestly, if people think this birding listserv is hostile, they should take a look at some of the other state bird listservs.  I've yet to see profanity show up here.  We've got pretty good--not perfect, but who has that?

I think we encourage discussion and disagreement, but the key is to not take it personally.  If you're going ask questions, don't be upset when you get answers if they aren't what you want to hear.  So, if the records committee finds your sighting unacceptable?  Repeat to yourself, "It's not me, it's my documentation."  You report a chukar and people on the listservs tell you it's not countable on an official list?  Take a big shrug and enjoy the fact that you saw an escaped bird attempting to stake a claim in the wild.  You saw an ivory-billed woodpecker at Weaver Dunes and no one believes you?  Don't sweat it, we still love you anyway.

Sharon

On Aug 14, 2007, at 2:24 PM, Jim Williams wrote:

 Are we to add birding and its many avenues to that list of things one supposedly cannot discuss without risk of offense? Is it to be religion, money, sex, and birding?

Good grief!

Jim Williams
Wayzata

On Aug 14, 2007, at 2:08 PM, Richard Wood wrote:

Hi all,

Pastor Al seems, IMO, to be bent on taking this list's discussions into areas that get people yelled at and called names by other users of the list.  I, for one, don't think that is necessarily a good thing to have happen.

I don't think he does it on purpose, and I enjoy it when he does, but frankly, most people don't like those of us that question things (we come off as being critical?), and I think all it does it cause a lot of trouble and lead to (potential) hurt feelings.

Take the recent discussion on record keeping, for example.  I wouldn't have voluntarily written about my "angst" toward the record keepers, but when Al posted, I replied, and it led to a big brehawa.  I was called by one person, whom shall remain nameless, a "troublemaker", when I don't think  I am.  A member of the MOU called me "critical", which again, I don't think I am.  I do question things, because I am a scientist.

My point is that we need to think seriously about when we post forays into "controversial" areas.  Does one want to post a note that is going to make others dislike each other, probably not. But we should all ask ourselves that each time we post a "question" to others on a list such as this.  Do you really want to create a situation (even unknowingly) where others will almost literally be at each other's throats?

Good birding,
Richard

Richard L. Wood, Ph. D.
Hastings, MN
rwoodphd at yahoo.com

----- Original Message ----
From: Sharon Stiteler <birdchick at gmail.com>
To: Pastor Al Schirmacher <pastoral at princetonfreechurch.net>
Cc: mnbird at lists.mnbird.net; mou-net at moumn.org
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 1:44:09 PM
Subject: Re: [mou] [mnbird] Suspicious Birds

Greater Roadrunner.

Sharon Stiteler
www.birdchick.com
Minneapolis, MN

On Aug 14, 2007, at 12:55 PM, Pastor Al Schirmacher wrote:

 John & Chris' posts bring up a question - besides Chukars and Northern Bobwhites, what other birds would arouse your (escapee/release/too soon to be counted) suspicions in the state?

Al Schirmacher
Princeton, MN
Mille Lacs & Sherburne Counties 
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