I have come to the conclusion that a good portion of our trouble on this board comes from folks NOT READING what is written...I am not pointing fingers, but recently a comment was made on one of my threads that made it obvious only a small portion of the thread had been read before commenting ( this is not the first time it has happened)...IMO, we would all be better off reading the entire contents of a thread before making remarks. If you are not willing to take the time necessary to read the whole thread, then IMO do not comment.....This would probably lead to less comments, but that may be a plus...

                
                     Deanna..: )

  AMEN

YR

A novel approach. How can someone comment without even reading the whole thread? I liken it to day dreaming during jury duty. Would you send your boss a reply to a memo without reading it throughly? I doubt it.

Not only should a person read all of what is written before commenting, but they should reread what they write before hitting submit.

Regards,
GSD

 In some threads it is necessary to read all of them so one can understand it well and comment correctly but in some others it is not that necessary, for example when there is a post requesting opinion on x ray, there is no need to read all previous comments, one can just state what he sees.
I have seen some members state in the beginning of their comments that they did not go through all the thread, that makes it clear to others less there is some repetition in what is being said.
I can say a post should be read carefully to understand what is meant or asked.

Ibrahim

It is well documented that the average reading level AND comprehension of what is read for adults in this country is very low.  I saw the comment made on the thread started by Ruger1 about her dog and shook my head. Unlike many who come here asking for information or advice, she posted a followup for all to see. However, if they don't bother to read the thread, especially the last few pages, before responding, it is not surprising that the post is off key. The ability to comprehend what was written is something else again. Sadly, I see the skill level of today's college students and it is, for the most part, pathetic and indicative of a serious problem in our educational system. Public education, once a great dream and holding so much promise, has failed. The evidence shows in all venues of American society, and in places just like this forum. 

The writing skills of all too many American adults are even worse. It is pretty sad when some of the people who post here who live in foreign countries and speak a different native language than English can come here and express themselves better than those who were born here.

 Yep. Well stated by everyone. I think I have requested that people READ and REREAD several times just this week! It's quite frustrating to someone who tries very hard to be clear and word things carefully to have people admittedly "skim" and get wacky conclusions.  Sometimes I just shake my head at what is posted in reference to another poster or myself. Then, even more fun, you get people responding as if the first poster who read something incorrectly or didn't read at all was correct and now you have a real mess. 

Good point, Deanna.

    FWIW, I am no English major myself...I am a horrible speller and terrible at punctuation too....I try..lol...I aways hit spelling check and have a dictionary handy. You all will have to bear or bare with me....lol....But I do make it a habit to read..read..and re-read.....mine, as well as other people's remarks....


                   Deanna..: )

 Ruger1,

I am not referring to you, or to those who make an occasional error. We all make errors, often simply because we are in a hurry. I note that as I get older I also make mistakes typing that I would never have made when I was younger. Keeping a dictionary handy, or looking up a word if one is not certain about how to spell it is a good idea, something I have to do too every now and then, and is something I tell my students to do. As we all know, word spelling check software is not infallible, and to make a mistake using the kind of example you post above is also not what I am talking about.

Being able to read, comprehend and write is a critical skill for the effective functioning of any society. One can improve such skills if one cares to do so. The trouble is, so many people are just plain lazy and complacent and have no interest in improving.