Re: Extremism

From: Michael M. Butler (butler@comp-lib.org)
Date: Sun Jan 07 2001 - 00:33:28 MST


Jerry Mitchell wrote:
> I don't think it
> cognitively efficient to use the word, meaning it doesn't add any useful
> information to what's being said (other then the fact that the person using
> the word thinks that what is being described is radically different from
> "their" ideas).
<snip>
> I for one cant find a
> reason to keep this anti-word in our language. If someone can spot a real
> use for this concept, please let me know.

I think that if I can't use the word to talk to somebody who uses it,
that takes a powerful communication tool away from me. If I were to rant
to that person about the word being meaningless, how far do you think
I'd get in trying to communicate?

There is a real use for this word as long as people worth talking to use
it. I think Joe is worth talking to. And there is such a thing as
extreme inflexibility. Maybe *that* is what "extremism" is really about.
What do you make of that definition?

Just thinking here.

Mike



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Nov 02 2002 - 08:04:37 MST