The last spoken line in the Star Wars saga ...

POSTED BY: STEVEthePIRATE
UPDATED: Friday, May 27, 2005 07:52
VIEWED: 8341
PAGE 5 of 5

PREV PAGE 1 2 3 4 5

FRAY101

Thursday, May 26, 2005 6:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Emma:

On the other hand people may read my posts and think 'ah, nice and fluffy' because I like overtly friendly and non-controversial postings. In reality I have an evil temper and can be quite nasty.
extremely dimensionally transcendental

OMG - you're me!

I've only very recently added a profile and it doesn't give much away. But it is nice to have some idea about the people you're posting with.

_____________________________________
"Why would I want to leave Serenity?"
"Can't think of a reason."

Over 100 Serenity screencaps now available at www.destinything.com (yep, bought me a proper name!)

EMMA

Thursday, May 26, 2005 6:50 PM

Quote:
And I like to skip.

skipping is good, particularly when walking down the street with other people - it can embarrass them. Thatweirdgirl, You are at a distinctive advantage, you have a website and we can all tell what you are like - in a nice, not scary way of course

Fray101, Of course I'm like you, I'd worked that one out ages ago - didn't know you had a temper though, am now slightly scared!

extremely dimensionally transcendental

ZOID

Thursday, May 26, 2005 8:09 PM

Emma posited the philosophical question of the century (or at least the past week):

Quote:
...So what is better, judging by profile or posting?

Well, I'm fairly non-judgmental, judging by the norm. (That was a pun.) But, I'd have to say, "Both".

In the first instance, when one does not know to whom one is speaking, there are many obstacles to communication. I dislike talking on the phone, for instance, because of the lack of non-verbal cues ('body language').

For Internet discussions, there is only the language being used. Even on the phone, I can tell if I'm speaking to a male or female, and their approximate age/education from the outset.

I know it is not politically correct to differentiate between the sexes; but I do, because that's how I was raised. I treat females with more care than I do males; females tend to break more easily than males, and I was raised never to threaten a female by word or deed. I stand ready for judgment on that score.

I am not, however, entirely loathe to be confrontational with a female, if she insists. I have had many satisfying debates with women, and have never seen the advantage in patronizing them or discounting their reasoning. I see females as intellectual equals to males, in some ways and specific cases superior.

But a male will 'throw down' on another male in a way that necessitates a visceral response. Think of it as 'spraying the decks with testosterone'. Is it pretty, or fun, or desirable? No. But it happens. If a (unannounced) female accidentally uses a "trigger word" with a male, she may inadvertantly get treated as roughly as a male. The same goes with a male who thinks he speaking to another male, and it turns out that the other is a female: He may inadvertantly use a "trigger word" that offends her to her core, without any intention to do so; but the damage is done, primarily because of the lack of fundamental information.

In the second instance you cited: Regardless what is in someone's Profile, it is the historical trend -- the tenor of a poster's communications when taken as a whole -- that is the best descriptor of the poster's capabilities for rational discourse and their temperament. One can say anything one likes in the Profile Page; but by one's acts (or words), one is known. One can say "I'm a great guy"; but if one subsequently acts like a boor on a regular basis (I'm willing to forgive 'bad days', we all have 'em), then one is a boor, protestations to the contrary notwithstanding. I believe that was your point, so I'd say we agree on that score, n'est-ce pas?

But, if we can all just relax the sphincter a little... How much can it hurt or prove an invasion of privacy to say "I'm a 46-year old father of three, who used to play football in high school and was in rock road acts for ten years, before I joined the USAF and became an Air Traffic Controller, a profession I still practice"? Now, you know something about me: I'm a grown, well-experienced man who can take your best shot and give it back to you, plus interest, if that's the road you want to travel. But, I'm also artistically inclined, and so would prefer to take a more genteel path, if given the opportunity to do so.

Of course, my Profile Page could be a total fabrication. I might be an extraordinarily argumentative 12-year old girl... Treat her as you will.

Respectfully,

zoid
_________________________________________________

"Sure as I know anything, I know this: I aim to misbehave." -Capt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity, a.k.a. 'the BDM'

EMMA

Friday, May 27, 2005 7:04 AM

So that is what ATC stands for... I did wonder, tough job, rather you than me the pressure must be icky

The more I frequent these boards the more I think I really on getting to know the same people, I do like profiles to say things like 'I live in X and am interested in Y' but I couldn't care less about gender, age or family stuff. I suppose that is because I identify more as a Brit interested in sci-fi and art etc than I do as a woman of a certain age with no children. Interesting! That could lead to all sorts of other philosophical questions...

extremely dimensionally transcendental

ZOID

Friday, May 27, 2005 7:52 AM

Emma wrote:

Quote:
So that is what ATC stands for... I did wonder, tough job, rather you than me the pressure must be icky.

I love my job. I have a theory about job-related stress. If a person is well-suited to a profession by nature and temperament, and then is well-trained to correctly perform its core tasks and given proper tools to achieve the job's goals, then there is very little stress (at least on a day-to-day basis).

On the other hand, if one is not well-suited, well-trained and/or properly equipped (technologically) to deal with the requirements of one's profession, the stress can literally be murderous. That's true -- by my reckoning -- if you're a controller, policeman, butcher, baker or candlestick maker.

Lookit: I know myself at least as well as the next person. I know I can be really annoying and exasperating, even though I rarely intend to be. I am very direct, and like to get to the heart of matters. The only thing that ameliorates my keen tongue is a basic working knowledge of the particulars of the person to whom I am speaking.

I mean, look at how long-winded I am. Can you imagine how torturous my posts would be if I had to pussy-foot around like a politician in an election year? I'd never get anything said. More importantly, I'd never get to learn anything, which is the point of all Life's exercises, in my opinion. Especially interactions with fellow humans...

I love a good debate. When well played, everybody present gets to see many sides of an issue. When politics -- playing to the audience's sensitivities -- is not involved, the opportunity for illumination is magnified. But, as I said previously, there are certain lines that cannot be crossed without terminating the reasoning process ("trigger words"). You've got to know something about your rebutter, in order to play fairly and well.

Respectfully,

zoid
_________________________________________________

"Sure as I know anything, I know this: I aim to misbehave." -Capt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity, a.k.a. 'the BDM'

PREV PAGE 1 2 3 4 5