Let's bring CD back to the way it used to be

[Hallry]

I’ve never talked to Brandon Holley in person, but something that he said once has stuck with me lately. His custom user title reads “Let's bring CD back to the way it used to be”, which we should all strive to do.

Recently, it seems as though CD has been a hotbed of hostile quarrels. People have thrown respect for others out the window, and honestly it seems that some users are arguing just for the sake of arguing. Truthfully, I'm sick and tired of it. And, in some cases, it feels like it is the same people at the center of every negative thread.

Let’s discuss some things. Everyone has different opinions, and most of the time people stick to theirs. However, just because you may disagree with what another person thinks does NOT mean that they’re wrong, nor are you wrong. Sometimes you just have to agree to disagree. There’s no use in fighting with someone just to ‘win’, because you won’t. There’s nothing to win. Learn to respect the opinions of others, even if they are the complete opposite of yours. Some people might not agree with yours, either. If someone thinks that FTC and FRC should be thought of as equals while you think FRC is better than FTC, that’s fine. Those are your own opinions. Respect them and move on. Stop fighting about who is ‘right’.

For those of you who don’t know what respect is, here’s some Aretha Franklin for ya. You can find out what it means to me.

Also, there’s no use being nit-picky about the little details of every single post, nor is it worth it to rip on someone for not spelling everything perfectly. If someone states that FRC is about 25 years old, there is no reason to quote them and correct them by saying it is only exactly 23 years old. Chief Delphi is supposed to be a fun and constructive internet forum, for all of FIRST to enjoy. We’re not writing SAT essays here, nor are our posts the equivalent of a master’s thesis. If someone tries to post something helpful, yet misspells a few words here and there, we should be thanking them for their assistance, not putting them down since they used the wrong form of “they’re/their/there”. Everyone, yes, even you and me, makes mistakes here and there.

Almost everyone has been guilty of being a bit aggressive over the past few months, including myself. As Don Rotolo recently said, “We are all one big team, even though we are split into thousands of smaller teams.” I don’t care if you’re FRC, FTC, FLL, or even Jr. FLL. We’re all one big FIRST family. Yeah, families fight from time to time (trust me, as the youngest child with two older sisters, I’m well aware of that), but people should not be afraid to post here just because they are worried of getting yelled at and receiving a bad rep.

So, let’s all have a corndog and relax for a bit. Chief Delphi is supposed to be a place for people to ask for help, for others to give help, and for everyone to learn and have fun. I’m not perfect, you’re not perfect, no one is perfect. But before you post next, stop and think to yourself, “what would my grandma think if she saw me saying this?”. Or worse, sponsors? Let's not forget our gracious professionalism.

Thank you, Brandon Holley, for the consistent reminder of what this site is meant to accomplish: a welcoming community, where the members all support one another, and are understanding of the views of others. Now let's all work hard to achieve that again.

Darn, my soapbox broke...