From: Michael M. Butler (butler@comp-lib.org)
Date: Thu Nov 22 2001 - 18:43:16 MST
Noisy honesty time from me: Everybody is an asshole sometimes (Strong form of the Dilbert Law).
John Clark + Samantha Atkins + Mike Lorrey + Some people probably on my plonk list / wrote:
<<a lot of heartfelt and deeply held beliefs lubricated with an occasional insult>>
I'm not a cop, nor do I play one in VR. The best government is self-government, nicht wahr?
I see people doing a lot of arguing past each other. I see people who are in tactical mode
arguing with people in strategic mode. I see bald assertions and NOT a lot of actual thinking
going on. I see people reacting. I see setpieces with verdidgris encrustations, to be frank.
Urine and bile can really make a watering hole unpalatable. I've been stepping around the obvious
brackish pools, but maybe since I'm between jobs at the moment I ought to take up the mantle and
be sweetly reasonable until everyone is sick of me and unites against me. :| :)
I understand that feelings run high when survival is at stake. For what it's worth, I think
the "nice guy with an inoperable astrocytoma" model should be reflected on while everyone
takes a time-out on insults. Not all the fingers point outwards.
Something I've been thinking about is a required mail client that delays posting until 48 hours
has passed. But you can't force a person to be reflective (James Bond movies notwithstanding--
that was _superficial_, don't you know).
Consider once more, I beseech you all: is this a private club? Is this an outreach site?
Is righteous indignation the highest level of discourse to be achieved here?
Must an intellect be brittle to be sharp?
Mike,
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