Comparing ME/CFS following mononucleosis with Long COVID, 2026, Jason et al

I'm in my 70s and so is Dr. Jason. We're old school manners and etiquette

I'm in my 70s too and I don't see this as an issue of old school manners, to be honest. Members here are critical of the scientific methodology, as they should be. I have seen no hostility. Not a hint of 'personal attacks'. And this forum is not 'social media'. It is a science forum. We have lots of professors and MDs and other experts hiding behind avatars! We all admire Dr Jason and his team for their commitment, but everybody in science has to be open to criticism of ideas and publications.
I get my ideas torn to pieces by members here every day and I love it. It is the life blood of science. It is what one expected of a medical Grand Round forty years ago whether in the Ether Dome, at a Gowers Round at Queen Square or wherever. That for me was the old school approach. The pity is that these days it seems to have submerged in a sea of political correctness.

It is all about loosening up really. :)
 
I didn’t perceive anything as directed at me personally. I would still suggest avoiding general statements without explicitly saying they are about social media at large, and not the specific forum or thread you’re currently on. If share your frustration with social media, but it probably isn’t very relevant for the topics here either.
Good advice, thank you.
 
I'm in my 70s too and I don't see this as an issue of old school manners, to be honest. Members here are critical of the scientific methodology, as they should be. I have seen no hostility. Not a hint of 'personal attacks'. And this forum is not 'social media'. It is a science forum. We have lots of professors and MDs and other experts hiding behind avatars! We all admire Dr Jason and his team for their commitment, but everybody in science has to be open to criticism of ideas and publications.
I get my ideas torn to pieces by members here every day and I love it. It is the life blood of science. It is what one expected of a medical Grand Round forty years ago whether in the Ether Dome, at a Gowers Round at Queen Square or wherever. That for me was the old school approach. The pity is that these days it seems to have submerged in a sea of political correctness.

It is all about loosening up really. :)
Thanks, Jonathan. Like I mentioned, I was not speaking specifically about this forum or individual comments, but rather social media in general. I have moderated several very large support groups for chronic illness and you can't have thin skin when you do that....we would get PMs with profane rants and even death threats. That's what I'm talking about. And if you are in the camp with those who have contributed to medical trauma (doctor, researcher, etc) then you are often guilty by association and considered fair game. We have to decide where to allocate our mental and physical resources and I'm more willing to put up with the negativity (and positive constructive criticism) than most professionals I know. So tear away :)

By the way, these are not "my" studies. I'm part of a large team as a patient advisor and epidemiologist but there are many people involved in different projects at any given time and I contribute where I am most needed. So I can try to explain some approaches or conclusions, but only representing myself, not the authors.
 
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I'm in my 70's too, since the subject of age has come up. I don't think manners have anything to do with age, nor do I think we need to be educated about how to behave. That's all irrelevant to this discussion. It's the quality and insight of critiques that matters, not the politeness of expression, surely. So long as posts are within forum rules, we don't tone police. Of course as a mod, I've been subjected to some abuse. PwME don't become saints by virtue of getting sick.
 
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