Steven-
<<Meanwhile, the harsh rhetoric emerging from the US has encouraged the President of Taiwan to engage in some harsh rhetoric of his own, which has provoked further harsh rhetoric from Beijing, which in turn has provoked more harsh rhetoric from Washington DC.>>
What is the harsh rhetoric coming from Washington? For that matter, Taipai?
------------Largely OT Stuff----------------------------
I must confess, I am finding it difficult to maintain a discussion with you, but I'm not ready to give up.
In post 8766, you said, in response to my complaint that you offered an "absurd extension" of my idea:
<<Quite true. I saw the tactic in a number of your posts, and wondered how you would feel about it being turned in the opposite direction. Now I know.>>
In post 8850, you said, referring to me,
<<You describe people who think engagement will be a more effective way of promoting promoting reform in China than confrontation as "apologists". That seems pretty well into the "absurd extension" category. >>
When challenged, you responded, in post #8863 as follows:
<<I suppose I could be called an apologist - though I think "advocate" would be a better term ...>>
Unless you come up with something, I shall consider your claim that I frequently use that tactic to be baseless.
Now, in the vein of full disclosure, I think I did use that tactic once- against Bosco, of all people. And it's probably not in the finest tradition of polemics: it certainly should be used sparingly. But I think there's a significant difference between your and my use of that admittedly flawed method of argumentation. When I used that technique on Bosco, I was deriding an idea he had pronounced. But I was not in any way assailing his character or intellect- I think he would agree with me there (if not, I would be willing to apologize).
I don't believe Lawrence Kam can say the same.
It is an unfortunate, even evil, tendency- to falsely disparage and even malign a person's character- that I frequently see on SI to which I so strenuously object. Given the nature of my presence on SI, I am not infrequently the target of such character assassination, and I object to it. Some find that off-putting, even ridiculous: one person took me to task for taking criticism "personally" (all I could reply was that the comment against me was quite personal). BTW, this is the root of my hostility toward Tomasso: he has traduced my character and assailed my intellect without so much as bothering to justify his false charges. Many a better sound has come from the back.
Larry |
