|
BGonline.org Forums
Etiquette /cell phones ?
Posted By: Phil simborg In Response To: Etiquette /cell phones ? (Seth)
Date: Sunday, 12 April 2015, at 11:45 p.m.
Cell phones are a problem. In the US most of us use phones to record matches and take pictures of positions. I have even, during a match, answered a text from my wife telling her when and where I think I can meet her for dinner or lunch. And yes, my phone is chock full of tools I study to help my game including take points and reference positions and rules of thumb etc etc. if I were a cheater it would be easy to cheat with my phone.
So we can make rules that make it very hard to cheat, or we can be reasonable and assume most people will not cheat. Well, if we go the first route the game will be filled with draconian rules and safeguards which will make it far less enjoyable for all of us, would require us all to be policing each other and constantly calling the director to look into actions which could be done for cheating, and we would be promoting a truly nasty atmosphere that does less to encourage people to simply be fair and kind and honest. Also, cheaters will still find a way to cheat.
Instead what we can do is make the rules and responsibilities clear so that good and honest people will have no problem understanding what they can and can't do according to the rules; we can encourage (and reward) good sportsmanship; and of course, when someone does not demonstrate good sportsmanship or is found to be cheating we can take very strong and decisive action to stop them from doing it again and to show all that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated and will be dealt with harshly.
What we have right now is in the middle. Our rules are not all as clear as they should be (though they are getting better) and we don't have proper organization and authority governing the game that can and does take decisive action.
I believe that discussions like this in this forum, amongst ourselves, and with the leaders of the USBGF and ABT is a great way for those of us who would like to see improvements in these areas to help encourage said improvement. The leaders are better able to make better rules and enforce them if it is clear they are supported (and sometimes pressured) by public opinion.
I know that I have either changed my opinion or been strongly influenced over the years by the discussions here and by the opinions of so many here whose opinions I respect and value.
Now, some say it is airing dirty laundry, and it is when we get into a public hanging of an individual or an instance where we don't necessariky know all the facts -- but I'm talking about an honest debate and discussion about what kind of rules we should have and how they should be enforced and by whom.
I applaud and support Bill Riles "higher road" approach to these discussions, but at the same time until we know that bad actors are dealt with and encouraged or required to stop by some official body, it seems that the court of public opinion was the only way for these consistent offenders suffer any consequences for their actions that hurt the fun and integrity of tournaments year after year after year.
I hope this will change in the future, and out of respect for Bill's fine approach and efforts, I will do my best to not air dirty laundry on public forums and will continue to do what I can to encourage the leaders of this game to establish stronger, clearer guidelines and recourses for consistent bad sportsmanship and of course, no mercy at all for intentional cheaters.
|
BGonline.org Forums is maintained by Stick with WebBBS 5.12.