This is a phrase used where a plaintiff who may have several courts with jurisdiction, will shop around for the one most favorable to him/her.
As well, plaintiffs will often decide to appeal to a higher court if they lose their case in a lower one.
There seems to be quite a bit of forum shopping going on when it comes to obtaining justice or explaining one's case in the reptile community.
Some helpful hints:
1) Treat each forum separately. Explain your issues clearly and provide proof.
Just as an example, if you have been going to Joe's Bar for the past ten years and you finally clocked Marty who has semi-intentionally spilled beer on you about once a week for those ten years because his Aunt Hortense seriously did not like your Mom Mabel, and you get hauled in front of a judge for assault, you can't just say 'Everyone knows he deserved it'. Rational people will not necessarily take your word that Marty is the Devil in disguise. Make your case.
2) Show people, don't tell them. Pictures of Marty spilling the beer on you, copies of weekly dry cleaning bills from your poor beer soaked sweater, records from Joe showing that he has ejected Marty from the bar regularly.
3) Update your case. If you go from place to place wailing about Marty, and then you and he have a heart to heart and all is forgiven, you are going to be judged by what people see on a particular forum, and if you make a lot of claims, don't provide proof, and just drop the whole issue, you may find that your lack of cohesiveness reflects badly on you. A bare accusation is not likely to persuade, particularly if there is some evidence that things did not go well for you in a previous forum.
As well, plaintiffs will often decide to appeal to a higher court if they lose their case in a lower one.
There seems to be quite a bit of forum shopping going on when it comes to obtaining justice or explaining one's case in the reptile community.
Some helpful hints:
1) Treat each forum separately. Explain your issues clearly and provide proof.
Just as an example, if you have been going to Joe's Bar for the past ten years and you finally clocked Marty who has semi-intentionally spilled beer on you about once a week for those ten years because his Aunt Hortense seriously did not like your Mom Mabel, and you get hauled in front of a judge for assault, you can't just say 'Everyone knows he deserved it'. Rational people will not necessarily take your word that Marty is the Devil in disguise. Make your case.
2) Show people, don't tell them. Pictures of Marty spilling the beer on you, copies of weekly dry cleaning bills from your poor beer soaked sweater, records from Joe showing that he has ejected Marty from the bar regularly.
3) Update your case. If you go from place to place wailing about Marty, and then you and he have a heart to heart and all is forgiven, you are going to be judged by what people see on a particular forum, and if you make a lot of claims, don't provide proof, and just drop the whole issue, you may find that your lack of cohesiveness reflects badly on you. A bare accusation is not likely to persuade, particularly if there is some evidence that things did not go well for you in a previous forum.
