Subject: Re: less parentheses --> fewer parentheses
From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.net>
Date: 2000/08/26
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Message-ID: <3176279266088263@naggum.net>

* Barry Margolin <barmar@genuity.net>
| But it's still the case that you were criticizing someone for not
| taking steps to improve their grammar

  No.  I understand it's hard for you, but could you _please_ pay a
  little attention when you want to keep telling me what I do?  I did
  not do what you malevolentely "interpret" me to have said, here.

  Do you understand the difference between criticizing some person A
  who has unfairly criticized some person B, and agreeing with person
  B or whatever his messages was?  I don't think you grasp the concept
  of justice, Barry, or if you do, however unlikely, you have set out
  to apply injustice on purpose.  In brief, justice means the ability
  to judge action without judging person.  In this case, it is unfair
  to criticize someone for over-interpreting the "can't stand it" the
  way that German dude did, and I reserve the right to point that out,
  without some dumbfuck like yourself telling me I agree with the
  _over-interpretation_, of all things.

  You never have managed to make that distinction in dealing with me,
  and I doubt that you are so unintelligent that it isn't on purpose.
  You continue to act as if your transgressions are perfectly OK
  because you _feel_ justified by that hatred of yours.  You continue
  to believe that false accusations can get you anything, too.

  You are amazingly willing to find positive, kind "interpretations"
  of everyone but me, and this has been evident for years.  I fail to
  see what you gain in your sugar-coating whatever I criticize, except
  for a very good way of expressing your hatred.  Joe Random USENET
  reader doesn't pay too much attention, so the lop-sided way you
  "interpret" and see what isn't there goes unnoticed, and as long as
  meny people think everything is OK if it's said with nice words, you
  can look like this saint, but the way you will always exaggerate
  what I do in the most negative direction possible and likewise
  exaggerate what whoever you consider my victims do in the most
  positive direction possible, is significant evidence of hatred at
  work.

| That's not how I interpret such an argument.

  Of course it isn't.  If you understood what people said that I have
  critized, you wouldn't have a case.

| You read things too literally ...

  Really?  As opposed to your "interpretations" all over the place?

| IMHO, he was simply pointing out that he doesn't go around
| criticizing the German of non-native German speakers, and he would
| appreciate the same consideration of his handicap in English.

  Hello?  Attention-deficit problems again?  Listen carefully, Barry!
  The person who used "less" instead of "fewer" in the header WAS NOT
  German.  Both the person who criticized and the person who used
  "less" were native speakers.  Moreover, the criticism was clearly
  not of any _person_ (despite your predilection to think everything
  has to be about people), but of a _phenomenon_.

  So what has German to do with this at all?  _NOTHING_

  Nobody with a German "handicap" were corrected, Barry.  The
  comparison to German handicaps was completely uncalled-for,
  irrelevant, and pointless.

| You take this simple rhetorical remark, and turn it around to insult
| his intelligence because he's not interested in hearing criticism of
| his English from people who have no right to provide it.

  Wrong.  This is so fucking _warped_!  Only a severe psychosis could
  ever come up with something so far from observable reality.  The
  record is there, Barry.  Pay some attention to it if you want to
  criticize and blame people for any wrong-doing!

  It was _stupid_ to make the argument that was made, because it had
  no place whatsoever in relation to what did in fact transpire.  If
  there were any intelligences insulted, it was _not_ because of the
  surface stupidity that you see, but because the argument is a false
  accusation, precisely of having attacked someone with a handicap,
  which did _not_ happen, but you don't see them as bad because they
  are not even wrong in your view of "justice".

| Furthermore, I doubt it's really necesary, as I believe that other
| long-time regulars in the group will support my subjective claim.

  Oh, Christ, appeal to popularity, too!  How low can you sink?

| You're obviously an intelligent person, Erik, but your frequent need
| to belittle people suggests an emotional problem.

  I don't belittle people, OK?  PAY ATTENTION IF YOU WANT TO CRITICIZE!

  It is not my problem that you can't distinguish action and person,
  but if you could at least make a mental note that you are wrong in
  your "interpretation" so we could avoid doing this thing every time
  you blow your hatchet because of something that isn't there, we
  could have some peaceful coexistence, at least.  As long as you keep
  doing your insane stunt with "interpreting" things, is it to avoid
  that "take it literally" error?, and you get it so amazingly wrong,
  it _has_ to be corrected, and I do have a right to correct you when
  you false accuse or anyone else of wrongdoing, regardless of how
  many would "support" you in your false accusations.

  At worst, I'm belittle the _role_ people choose to act on the Net.
  They can choose another role.  They can choose to act differently.
  If I were belittling people, my criticism wouldn't stop if they
  changed their actions.  The fact is, I do.  You, however, don't even
  _allow_ me to have other roles than your psychotic vision, but will
  attribute malice to me based on your one-dimensional interpretation
  of _me_.

  If people _feel_ belittled, that's no surprise, however -- I usually
  flame those who don't want to pay attention, be careful, or think,
  and if you don't want to think, you probably don't introspect enough
  to realize what's being criticzed, either.  Take you, for instance.

  Yet, suppose for the sake of argument tha there is an emotional
  problem: Why do you go out of your way to beat and harrass someone
  who has a handicap that you _recognize_?  Of course, some random
  German with a handicap shouldn't be criticized for his English
  mistakes, but it's perfectly OK for you to harrass someone with an
  emotional problem?  If anything, this would make you even _more_
  evil, Barry.  Good going!

  I don't think a person can learn to pay attention if he doesn't,
  unless it is extremely painful not to do it, which would cause most
  people to rethink their situation.  Of course, the morons would
  automatically conclude that they do _nothing_ wrong whatsoever, and
  of coruse they can't even figure out what's going on, so they begin
  to hurl _personal_ accusations, and that's when the flames begin.
  You're one of the worst to confuse person with action, Barry, and
  you have not figured it out in a number of years.  What would it
  _take_ for you to understand that confusing action with person is
  wrong?  I don't think you could change that aspect of you, so I just
  want you to stop doing what falls natural to you, that is, stop
  making false accusations based in your "misunderstandings" and your
  unique "interpretations", even though that's how you are.

#:Erik
-- 
  If this is not what you expected, please alter your expectations.