Noveltyjunkie,
WELL SAID!
I didn't see that video, but it sounds like a strange thing to do.

Noveltyjunkie, America does NOT come into it!!! As you said it's about a person's values, no matter where you live or come from!!
Thanks for the great post.
Catrancher, I remember your post and I didn't think you were out of line at all! But I'm all for being positive and your "pledge" is so cute!! I'm on the fence with this topic b/c I think venting is fine and if someone doesn't want to read it they can just hit the delete button. But that's just my opinion.
Having said that I think there is a lot to be said for having a positive attitude in general. I believe it's infectious. At the risk of sounding like a goody-goody I have found that treating people with decency, kindness and respect in all walks of life makes everything better. If I don't get it in return I just let it go. I've done my part and that's all that matters :D

Great attitude-way to go! I know that I personally use this board as a sort of therapy-it is my escape from the realities of life that can suck you down at times. As a matter of fact I started quilted as a hobby to help me get through the hard times when my bipolar son goes manic so anything and everything quilting is somewhat therapeutic to me. I cannot tell you how dissapointed I can get at times when I get on here and see blatant negativity-I have never posted about it in the past simply because I felt I would be negative myself for mentioning the negatvity. I didn't see your post and am not referring to you in any way-please don't think that I am. The other day I saw a post that was locked that was complaining about poor service at a certain shop and a moderator-who has a position of authority on this board and in a sense represents this board with her actions-showed a ton of bias and locked the topic because she didn't want the statements made by the creator of the topic shared with the public. It was a negative topic, however, it was no different than the dozens of complaints we have seen toward Joanne's or Hancocks on this board and these threads are not shut down or locked. My jaw dropped because it just seemed a blatant abuse of power-for all the public to see- and was just so negative that I was disgusted. I hate to have my "happy place" corrupted so I applaud you for taking the stance of keeping it positive :thumbup: (As a side note, I do realize I dumped some negativity here but felt I needed to explain my viewpoint of why I am so happy to see your post).

I agree with you about venting being fine but I do hate to see it when people start being ugly, hateful, rude, or condescending toward one another-those are the posts that make me cringe. But you are right-all we have to do is hit delete :)

I am English not American and I think everyone on this board is great. I have felt uncomfortable with the occasional statement but then I remember all the good things I have followed and learnt.Someone usually puts that person right sooner rather than later. No one surely is going to judge the whole board by a few statements. You are so helpful and kind to each other, I will never get tired of telling you so.

BRAVO! :thumbup:
One of my favorites quotes is:

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Stick to your morals/values. (just my opinion)

Lady-T- I believe that first quote was Eleanor Roosevelt and she had many challenges in her life!

That's probably why I don't post often, positivity is not a natural Irish trait LOL.

Of course, America doesn't come into it and it is definitely about a person's values. I only brought it up as Americans because I was speaking specifically to the one member who got me thinking about this in the first place. She was the one who brought up the point that this forum is read all over the world, and so I was referencing what she said. I did not intend to imply that Americans should somehow be different from people of other nations in this regard.

That said, however, (and maybe I've missed something) I've never seen a thread where a group of Australians or a group of Europeans or any members from anywhere else are carping about some local place that we Americans don't know anything about. Nevertheless, noveltyjunkie, your point is well taken and everyone everywhere should be polite on such a big public stage.

I guess I have a more relaxed viewpoint on all of this. I am a proud American but I have lived in other countries and enjoyed their culture. When I read the comments about Jo-Anns, I didn't take it that we were sending a wrong message to others. I read it with the understanding that there was a problem with JoAnns. I appreciated the comments that were made about the coupons because I have also felt the same way. It is okay to complain about a business when there is a problem.

I have read many different threads concerning JoAnns and you know what....the threads have never changed my viewpoint about JoAnns. I've been shopping at their store for the last 18 years (ever since I moved back to the U.S.). I appreciate the store. I appreciate the coupons and I use the coupons in the way that best helps me. I have three JoAnns within close driving distance (close to me is where I can get their in 40 minutes). I have a favorite JoAnn's store because it isn't as big as the other ones and the clerks are very friendly (they have the time to be friendly). Unfortunately, since they are not as big, they don't carry everything the other stores carry.
The other two JoAnns are bigger and the clerks don't have time to talk about what project I'll make with the material that I am buying. That is fine because they are trying to take care of the needs of all of their clients...I appreciate that too.

I think that most of us are independent thinkers and we can read complaints without being unfairly influenced on whether we'll shop there or not.
I hope that others on this board will continue to post their thoughts (good or bad) on the stores they use; what they think of the magazines' copyright attitude; and anything else that pertains to quilting. Your comments and posts have been very helpful to me in seeing the big pictures.