Ken Fortenberry wrote:

Conan the Librarian wrote:

I'm probably going to regret this, but I am curious about that
statement. ...

Well, I find roff fun and entertaining but an enormous waste of time.
But being an enormous waste of time is a big part of why it's fun and
entertaining. I mean, I come here precisely because I want to take a
little break from the drudgery of wordsmithing and waste a little time.

I understand that part well enough.

... But the part I don't get is the veiled (or sometimes,
not-so-veiled) threats of physical violence ...

I absolutely agree. Besides being ridiculous, issuing threats of
physical violence is one of the things that is specifically
prohibited on virtually every ISPs Terms of Agreement. (You can
eliminate the vast majority of them that you see on roff just by
sticking Opie in your killfile.)

To be fair, there have been a number of other folks involved in
either issuing threats or strutting around with their chests puffed out
playing "quien es mas macho".

And that still doesn't address the name-calling, which I see as
going hand-in-hand with the other stuff.

This is not directed (just) at you, Ken, but since you brought up
the idea of friends: It sure seems like a number of folks here have
gone out of their way to alienate any possible friends they might have
had here.

There's very few folks here who could ever be a close friend of mine.
The overwhelming majority are decent enough fellows with whom I would
be happy to share a stream and a beer at some point and then there's
a very small few with whom I wouldn't want to associate under any
circumstances. Just like "real" life off of Usenet, right ?

Yep. But just to use you as an example: If I'm not mistaken, you
have had an enjoyable time sharing a stream with some of the very folks
you are currently doing battle with. I expect opinionated folks to have
disagreements, but I don't see what purpose is served when that
deteriorates into juvenile namecalling or macho posturing.

The way I figure it is that there are enough assholes in "real" life
that it serves no purpose to come here to "escape" only to alienate the
folks with whom I share a common bond.

Then what will you be left with?

Well, it'll always be an enormous waste of time, it's got that going
for it. ;-)

Well there is that. :-)


Chuck Vance