Just go ahead and address this thread to T_J. He's really rattled you it seems. I noticed he hasn't responded yet. I will act in a civil matter, but when the situation calls for it, I will not refrain from using *punctuation* and or CAPS.
This has happened on both sides of the fence on almost any issue, and I myself have responded in kind to recent attacks, and I regret it. Macbeth, I had thought of posting something similar a couple of hours ago. I myself have reached a point of disgust with this whole thing in the last day or two. Let's give it a try. Maybe we could have some sort of points of procedure that we agree on. I frankly don't know. Maybe just a cooling off period and an attempt to use less inflammatory language.
As long as it doesn't get too boring...a good fight here and there...makes the bbs a little spicier... Plus, I think your appeal should include a clause that people should try to get to the point and be concise. To each his own style, but making incredibly long posts because one is unable to express the main points in a readable manner can reduce substance in itself (and be impolite) since it reduces the substance to ramble/blabber ratio .
When you said "are you in", I thought you were talking about a bag of weed. I am always in favor of thoughtful, honest, and constructive discourse. I welcome the rest of you to join me on my pedestal.
I agree about spice. I want debate, just not childish debate. I disagree about your second point, but another time.
That first looked like progress to me...since it was brief...but thinking about it...so you are saying one should NOT get to the point and one SHOULD make incredibly long posts?
MacBeth, if you are not going to agree to be concise then it's going to be difficult to discern the substance in your posts.
having thus far avoided any personal attacks on any poster, I will continue doing so, reserving the right to freely disparage any Frenchman
Why...if you want to appeal for substance, you also have to be prepared for a discussion about making it possible to find substance - in your own interest. You often post interesting things and one can tell that you put a lot of effort into it, but to be honest, often I cannot get myself to read your posts because they are simply too long and unfocused. A few times I have read them and come to the conclusion that the same thing could have been said in about 2-3 sentences. I know that a few other posters have made similar remarks to what I am saying. It almost seems like you fall in love with your own writing and therefore it is hard for you to stop. At the end, the result is the same - someone posts something without any substance, another person posts 2 lines of substance hidden in 200 lines of rambling and repetition - both will not get a message across to a lot of people... Just some constructive criticism because you are a nice guy .
SJC, Macbeth - I would agree with SJC. I find that I do not even bother to read the long posts. I look at the length, and just decide I don't have 5 minutes to ready through it all. I will admit that my attention span is short, but I am able to read everybody else's posts with no problem.
Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears On behalf of Rimbaud, Achebe and myself we wish to issue a joint statement regarding MacBeth's proposed club "I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members." G Marx
I did want to add, that Friendly Fan is my favorite new poster. Friendly Fan, you take the time to provide a sincere, well thought out reply to those who would wish you ill-will. You're a patient person, and I respect that a lot. But we're not alike Friendly Fan, and I think MacBeth is silly. I have tried to look past your manifestos MacBeth... but the fact that you've voted republican 5 out of the last 6 elections just confirms my intuitions. Men that know nothing, talk about everything. rah rah Rockets!!! rah!
All right, under those circumstances I'll address it, just didn't want to contribute to the derailment of my own thread. I disagree with your primary assertion; that I overword my arguments. In that most of my longer posts ( which, BTW, don't make up nearly the percentage of my contributions as some suppose) are responding to or addressing several points, and I like to treat serious debate with respect rather than glib responses, I try to be thorough, anticipate and address arguments with my reponse, and as such provide a comprehensive argument. Perhaps it's coming from an academic background, but the fact that some people feel that five or six paragraphs is overstating the case on issues like war and justice baffles me. Also, contrary to your experience, the vast majority of the reaction I get in here about my posts is quite positive, sometimes extremely so. Also, sadly, they are not a reflection of the effort you ascribe to them, but are merely the record of my thoughts at the time I am responding. In that, I suppose, it is possible that the danger of freedom of assosciation style rambling can occur, but I usually try and clean that up after the fact. In any event, I feel that the occassions where I have used 200 lines when 2 would have sufficed must be left to the matter of personal opinion. I have never felt this to be the case, you have, it must be a matter of taste. I am somewhat gratified that you addressed this; I had previously supposed that your consistently negative responses to anything I posted was motivated by a political difference of opinion, as I only began to notice it after voicing my opinions on the war. That it is, it can be now assumed, merely a disagreement over how to address an argument is a revalation. All that said, I also disagree with your assertion that there is a correlation between lowering the bar of this forum by insulting other posters rather than debating and disagreeing over whether or not brevity is, in fact, the soul of wit. One might get in the way of a few posters ability to comprehend, but the other merely replaces debate with mud-slinging.
cool I do attempt to make a sane response. I love hyperbole, but invective is counterproductive. I don't want to be known as one who demeans other posters for short term gain or to get back at them. The best path is almost always to ignore the side bar and remain focused on the point at hand. That, and I don't want the moderators to kick my azz for being a dork.
