Name:	MAJ USA RET -	Reply
Subject:	even the dull and the ignorant have their story
Date:	8/25/2019 2:36:05 PM

Firstly, I usually do not log in when I want to see what’s being discussed on the LMF.

Secondly, if the name calling and personal degradation are at all shrill, I surely do not log on and comment. If I can’t make my point without disparaging other writers, then I doubt my observation/commentary has any validity or reliability.

If you jump into a food fight armed only with logic and reason, you will soon find yourself covered in mashed potatoes.

I would never post anything that I would not say publically… or in a face-to-face debate. If I desire you to convince me enough to change my mind, I need to show you some respect… and I must earn yours.

If your premise is unsupportable by your presentation… then it is incumbent upon me to listen respectfully… and then move on quietly… without impugning your integrity. I was once a private (E-1). My premise is: If you don’t know how to talk to a private, then you are not qualified to talk to a general.

“…As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

“Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,

“even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

“Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit.

“If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter,

“for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself…”

-- Desiderata; Max Ehrmann

If I am wrong, I desire to be corrected… but, not by someone who is convinced I am wrong merely because it’s their opinion. I prefer to be educated by scientists, engineers, and historians… and farmers and crusty old people... NOT by journalists and politicians.

- LMF Curmudgeon

Name:	au67 -	Reply
Subject:	even the dull and the ignorant have their story
Date:	8/25/2019 3:43:51 PM

And always remember the sage advice of at least two people I know of on this forum..."Never try to teach a pig to sing.  It wastes your time and annoys the pig!"

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	even the dull and the ignorant have their story
Date:	8/25/2019 3:52:04 PM

So my question is - if everyone wants civility and respect, then why not ignore those who continually violate that?   If everyone ignored those who are particpating in name calling, they eventully would have no voice in this forum.  I've always thought that name calling is the sign of someone who can't convince anyone of the rightness of their position.  And if someone doesn't agree with you, just take it for what it is worth, don't continue to engage if it spirals downward into name-calling.  

Name:	Carlson -	Reply
Subject:	Worth a try
Date:	8/25/2019 8:51:28 PM

actually, I found the issue with a newcomer.  So I’ll give it a try.

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	MAJ
Date:	8/25/2019 9:15:49 PM (updated 8/25/2019 9:18:21 PM)

“If I can’t make my point without disparaging other writers, then I doubt my observation/commentary has any validity or reliability.”

Would you say that the following is consistent with your comment?

5/192019

“johndoe apears to take vicariuos pleasure in being disruptive.  There is nothing of value in anything he posts. His posts have no meaningful content. In my mind, I have composed a picture of an insecure, middle aged, angry creature... of no intellectual foundation... who feasts upon himself.  He does not spew poison... he swims in it.”

What does his appearance have to do with his posts? He is actually quite educated but you just disagree with his opinion.

Name:	wix -	Reply
Subject:	Negative Post
Date:	8/25/2019 10:37:08 PM

Clean up your negativity.....

Name:	MAJ USA RET -	Reply
Subject:	mea culpa
Date:	8/25/2019 11:24:51 PM

“If I can’t make my point without disparaging other writers, then I doubt my observation/commentary has any validity or reliability.”

Would you say that the following is consistent with your comment?

5/192019

“johndoe apears to take vicariuos pleasure in being disruptive.  There is nothing of value in anything he posts. His posts have no meaningful content. In my mind, I have composed a picture of an insecure, middle aged, angry creature... of no intellectual foundation... who feasts upon himself.  He does not spew poison... he swims in it.”

What does his appearance have to do with his posts? He is actually quite educated but you just disagree with his opinion.

- - - - -

I have to agree with your observation about my 5/192019 frustration with johndoe/gonefishing. That is EXACTLY why I don’t make an effort to log in. The semantics of johndoe/gonefishing (seem to me one in the same and) are distracting and disruptive. This is to say, they seem less designed to participate in debate… but, to disrupt debate.

It is difficult to carry on civil discourse when the signal to noise ratio is so low. In some of the postings, it gets far below 1:1. When I see that, I just don’t log in to the forum. That is precisely why I don’t post or reply very often.

Indeed… this reply to a barb directed at me… is a waste of time for me. I have learned nothing, have revealed no useful information, and do truly regret having displayed my irritation in my 5/192019 observation.

The interjections of disruptive and malevolent babble into a debate reminds me why some people should not have slingshots or BB guns. This comment is directed only at those who recognize themselves as the subject.

A true curmudgeon tries to confine his grumblings and discontented mumblings to addressing his adversaries without naming them… but making it pointedly clear that the schinola shoe does indeed fit when they try it on. I failed on the 19^th of May. I regret that.

- LMF Curmudgeon