From: Lee Daniel Crocker (lee@piclab.com)
Date: Mon Nov 26 2001 - 11:12:28 MST
> I want to bring up the "personal responsibility" perspective
> here. There are proper ways and improper ways to pee in the
> water hole.
>
> Here is a *proper* way:
> "I feel that you are the weakest link".
>
> Here is an *improper* way:
> "You *are* the weakest link".
>
> The first takes personal responsibility for your "feelings".
> It is fine with me for people to "feel" almost anything.
> Getting ones feelings off ones chest from time to time
> may contribute to moral and physical self-improvement
> (through relieving stress). So saying something the
> first way may be considered extropic.
While I agree with the sentiment, I have to point out that
English is a horribly inefficient and inexact language, and this
requires that _readers_ exercise some skill in its use as well.
In particular, any statement in the form "X is Y" should
automatically be interpreted as "I believe that X is Y". That's
what assertion means: the speaker believes that the statement
reflects reality. That's certainly what I mean when I use a
statement like that, and I certainly do take personal
responsibility for my own beliefs, whether or not I choose
to waste space on weasel words to say so.
-- Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com> <http://www.piclab.com/lee/> "All inventions or works of authorship original to me, herein and past, are placed irrevocably in the public domain, and may be used or modified for any purpose, without permission, attribution, or notification."--LDC
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