About comments and sharing of views

I have been thinking for a long time about whether to post this but I guess the situation has gotten rather tricky of late especially as the community accessing my blog and the affiliated social media channels has expanded quite a lot over the past year. Before things get out of hand, I think I need to speak up now. Especially for those who are new here, please take a moment to read the following.

When it comes to posting your comments, please abide by the following principles:
1) Everyone is entitled to their views - please show respect for others as you would like others to do the same to you
2) Agree to disagree - acknowledge the fact that people will have differing views from you but you can choose to disagree and don't have to insist on others changing their perceptions to match yours
3) No heckling or insulting - when in disagreement, avoid using words which put down others or may come across as degrading. heckling of the winners is also uncalled for even if you don't agree with the choices.

The reason why I am saying this is that there have been some comments of late which are bordering on offensive or insulting especially when the topic in question is controversial or subjective. During this year-end period in particular, there are so many types of rankings and awards announcements. We all know that these results will never please everyone. As such, there are bound to be disagreements when A wins the title but some people feel that B deserves it more. However, some people seem to be taking these results so personally to the extent that they literally "pounce" on others who question the legitimacy of the winners or suggest alternative views which is often done in a bid to defend their favourites. I can understand that perfectly because I disagree with some of these results too and feel that others are more deserving of the titles. Not everyone sees things in the same way as I do but I just put out my views anyway and I don't have to force you to agree with me.

I think we all need a gentle reminder that the results won't change just because we are arguing over it. However, we can still share insights or our views in a bid to give a possible explanation as to why the results are as such. It is then up to the individual reading such views to see if they agree or not. Even if you don't agree, there is no need to tear the other party to pieces because honestly speaking, how others think shouldn't have an impact on your view anyway. It may be that you change your view if you get more information from a different perspective through the discussion though.

I really hope that this blog will be a place where people can feel free to raise their views without feeling intimidated or uncomfortable in case their comments differ from others. After all, a community will thrive only if we share our differing perspectives in a cordial manner and pick up new insights along the way, not fight each other to death just because we don't agree. Two people may watch the same drama or movie and develop different views and conclusions at the end because our experiences, backgrounds and perspectives are not the same. As such, I sincerely ask of everyone to be a bit more conscious about avoiding unintended misunderstandings or sparking unnecessary arguments when you post your comments or views and be more accommodating of one another's differences.

Thank you very much for your attention regarding this.