At what point is making a negative comment considered bashing? Is there a difference

[sommone]

There seems to be a debate going on what is bashing vs. making a negative comment about someone (a royal). How does one determine when one has gone overboard? Any and all thoughts welcomed.

[Julia]

I would say that bashing someone is making ugly, unkind remarks about them. I think negative remarks are somewhat different. If I said 'I think Prince so-and-so is a total jerk and ugly to boot and everything he does is wrong and stupid' then I would call that bashing. Perhaps, this is my point of view but that is what I consider to be bashing. If I said 'I think Prince so-and-so is not terribly nice, he's not my cup of tea, and isn't always prudent in decision making' then that would be more of a negatively tilted personal opinion. It's all in how one words something, imho.
I'm sure my fellow admins and moderators will have some very good answers as well. :)

[Elspeth]

One of the criteria for differentiating between criticism and outright attacks is the difference between talking about what people do and what they are. Saying that somebody did something stupid isn't quite the same as saying that he or she is a stupid person.

However, I think it'd be a good idea to have some fairly clear-cut rules; feelings about some of the royals can run very high, and some people are always going to be pushing the boundary with their opinions.

[reynard]

I think it all has to do with context. If you are in a forum about royal fashion and you say that "queen X wore an ugly dress today and she always wears ugly dresses, then that is your opinion and it wouldn't necessarily be bashing. But if you are in the same forum and you just make a statement that "Queen X is a horrible queen and a useless ruler", that would be a bit of a bash, especially since it has nothing to do with the forum you are in.

[sommone]

Thank you moderators who have chosen to participate in this discussion. I'm surprised to see that only moderators are voicing their opinions since this is an ongoing debate that I know several members feel passionately about, whether they agree or disagree. I think a form of bashing is name calling. In fact, I think name calling is going overboard. There is a way to get your point across, negatively, if that's what you are striving for without being offensive.

[strengthnhonor]

I think that it would be bashing if the poster didn't explain why he/she thinks that way.

[norwegianne]

As the others have said: the difference between a negative comment and bashing is in the way you word it. I could say that I'm not very fond of Princess X because of the way she seems to appear in the press, that would be a negative comment. I could not say that I hate Princess X because she is a worthless floozy who looks like something that's been chewed and spit out. That would be bashing.

Wording things carefully, and thinking twice before you post anything should help with the difference. Negative name-calling is also a big no-no.