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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: one_less who wrote (41764)	12/26/2001 7:44:19 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

Wishing well, guiding one toward further consideration, and expressing hope for another's betterment could hardly be considered belittling if the expressions were sincere(not claiming to know who is sincere and who is not). I'm seeing your point. Suppose we had a discussion of a philosophical point here. A poster could write "I think you would understand this better if you read the Crito." There are (at least) two ways to take that. One is as helpful advice, the way a good teacher guides a student not because the teacher feels superior but because the teacher cares about the student. The other is belittling -- you dummy, I know the Crito and you don't, stupido. That would be belittling in almost anybody's book. How do we know from the simple words on paper which is meant? We probably can't. Some people would tend to assume the worse connotation, and some the better. Which really says more about the reader than the writer.

To: one_less who wrote (41764)	12/26/2001 8:05:23 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

You copped to intending a belittling shot. I did not cop to taking a shot. In one of many attempts to see the other side of this and understand what all the fuss is about, I concocted the premise that differences in position are inherently patronizing and took responsibility for patronizing some in the audience. (Apparently no one is buying that premise so I am abandoning it.) I never took a "shot." I have simply been trying to get people to understand the point you made very well for me: <<If you told me that you wanted some stone sculpture that you prayed to to straighten out my views on the human condition I would feel a little annoyed and disrespected. I am wondering if this is similar to how you took Chris's comment.>> Yes, that's how I took it. I don't see how Chris gets to make comments like that and it's OK. Unless it's because the people who let him get away with it also pray to that stone sculpture so they don't see it as patronizing but as being helpful. (My new premise.) Perhaps there is no acceptable way of communicating an idea that cannot be communicated without implying that a spade is a spade. Not in this venue, at least. Karen