Lately, there has been much correspondence (and wasted space) about the proportion of submissions to this forum which involve pretty hostile comments directed to specific persons. One advantage of a forum over, say, formal scientific publications, is that contributors can air opinion and prejudice as well as solid scientific knowledge and/or experience in an immediate way. However, the kinds of gratuitous comment, often insulting, superfluous to the argument and hostile to others seems both childish and pointless.
Would it not be possible, and acceptable to the majority of us, if some kind of editorial control could be exercised to the extent of requiring a re-write of submissions with gratuitous insults? Scientific literature is not devoid of controversies and often, those in know, can read the hostility and personal acrimony 'between the lines' without the offensive verbal abuse and snide comment that has become frequent here. It is perfectly possible to express contrary views and even to have an argument (as opposed to a row) without insults, even bearing in mind that the contenders in these battles may not feel as insulted as bystander members might assume them to be. However, the repetetive sentiment "I'm not playing with you lot any more, . . . . so there!" and walking out with a metaphorical slamming of the door seems more than inappropriate in a forum of this stature. Does the webmaster not have a say in the style of submissions? Surely there is a way of reducing the time spent in squabbling. Hostilities within a closed group (Ah! Those Departmental meetings I've retired from!) are quite different from a public performance. Also, I suspect that email is too convenient a vehicle for knee-jerk responses at the press of a send-button and, maybe, with a few seconds hindsight, verbal abusers might be able to see themselves in the same light as the rest of us probably do. Above all, let us not forget that there is a common thread here - interest in orchids. The fact that some of us have not the experience or the knowledge to be 'authoritative' and some of us believe we do have those qualities should be to mutual advantage, not a cause for open hostility. Me? As a character in one of our UK comedy TV programmes used to say; "I know nOthing!" John Stanley
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