(I’m putting this in the Pit because it’s referencing a Pit thread, and it may very well get heated anyway.)
In this post, an argument is made that people’s private lives are not open to public scrutiny on the SDMB. The counterargument is that some details were already revealed and discussed, and the scrutiny is coming from those previous statements already made.
Where do we draw the line between personal information and public debate?
If you’re allowed (for lack of a better term - no one’s being forced to post here) to post some information, but when pressed for more information, you reserve the right to withhold further information (or, indeed, discussion on what’s been given), is it suitable to be called to task for it? By not responding you look like you’re dodging the request, but by responding you have to give up more personal info. For those who are responding to what you’ve already said, what’s acceptable to withhold, and what’s a cop-out?
This is a public message board. If you’re going to post something, be it personal information or simply your side of an argument, it seems logical to me that you should then be prepared to follow through - publicly - with what you started off with. It is entirely possible to talk about your pesonal life and stick to the issues without giving away too much information you don’t want to give away; however, you should decide from the get-go what you’re willing to reveal.
I’ve learned, first hand and painfully, that you have to be very careful about what you post publicly for this very reason - you will be called on it, and it will come back to haunt you. Is this a lesson one can only learn by experience, or is someone out there smart enough to learn from others’ mistakes?
IMHO, that is.
Esprix