[She shakes her head, not letting herself thing about that now. There's a lesson to teach.]
If I feel annoyed or insulted when I first hear a comment, I do my best to not respond right away. I take a second or two to breathe, to go over what the person said again, why they might have said it, remind myself that they're likely not trying to attack me. In a similar case to your festival idea, I'd say something like "I apologize for not clarifying that point, what I meant was..." and go from there. That little acknowledgement, that bend, will show you respect the person talking to, and they'll respect you back.
If it's someone bringing up an idea I strongly disagree with, I do the same breathing and waiting, and then ask them to rephrase the point I disagree with in a calm, neutral tone. Perhaps a change in the wording will be all I need to understand it better. If you still disagree, lead by pointing out a part that you DO agree with or at least appreciate, so they see that the criticism is constructive. And in a forum situation, you can usually give another person the opportunity to speak instead.
And if they actually DO go for personal slights, you can either remind them of the topic of the conversation as code to back off, or stay silent to let someone mediate. Let THEM be the shouting, angry one, Usagi.
2/2
If I feel annoyed or insulted when I first hear a comment, I do my best to not respond right away. I take a second or two to breathe, to go over what the person said again, why they might have said it, remind myself that they're likely not trying to attack me. In a similar case to your festival idea, I'd say something like "I apologize for not clarifying that point, what I meant was..." and go from there. That little acknowledgement, that bend, will show you respect the person talking to, and they'll respect you back.
If it's someone bringing up an idea I strongly disagree with, I do the same breathing and waiting, and then ask them to rephrase the point I disagree with in a calm, neutral tone. Perhaps a change in the wording will be all I need to understand it better. If you still disagree, lead by pointing out a part that you DO agree with or at least appreciate, so they see that the criticism is constructive. And in a forum situation, you can usually give another person the opportunity to speak instead.
And if they actually DO go for personal slights, you can either remind them of the topic of the conversation as code to back off, or stay silent to let someone mediate. Let THEM be the shouting, angry one, Usagi.