The Meaning and Appropriateness of Rants

[VivreEstEsperer]

So, here's a topic to discuss. Almost every email list I have been on, most of them have been health support groups, seems to have a policy against what we know as the rant. A very informal policy. In other words ylou can do it and people might even be supportive but sooner or later someone will call you on it and say you can't do that.

I have never understood that. To me, emotional support means talking about your problems. I need to talk about my problems to survive. I do it well written respectful language. I do not see why this is a problem on a SUPPORT list. I just dont.

Anyone have any ideas why this would be bad? If someone doesn't want to read it or reply to it they don't have to. Everyone on the list talks about their problems but some things are designated as "rants" and some things aren't. To me there's a really thin line of difference between the two.

A place like this it doesn't seem to matter, maybe because it's not in your email box you can skip over posts more easily.

[Sally]

To me a rant is just someone blowing off steam and it isn't necessarily annoying. It could involve personal problems or political disgust or just about anything. If someone insults another poster or makes fun of them (and I've been guilty), then that's not a rant, that's just plain inappropriate and a moderator should warn them. But ranting -- you need to rant sometimes. Often, in fact.

There's always the choice NOT to read something, just like you can delete emails.