Jen,
Someone was right, in my opinion, you need a better sense of humor. Now I will rid my writing of humor for this reply, well of most of it anyhow.
Allow me to quote you:
Interesting, though, how you started your post with what seems to be some sort of negative attitude, then ended with "All the best."
Are you telling me I cannot disagree vehemently with someone and yet not wish them well? Are you that shallow? That is what often happens in the best discussions and debates.
By the way, I didn't have a negative attitude. Instead, I think you missed a very important point I made in my last two posts. I had an observational outlook blended with an unintentional test. You took the test when you read my post. Go figure the results by rereading your post and thinking of the attitude you had when you posted it. Then go figure out my test. You see, name calling really is part of normal and mature life. It is considered to be a mature aspect of our lives when done in a positive manner. People love to be called positive things such as professor, student of..., doctor, Mr. Mrs., Ms., excellent worker, wonderful parent, great athlete, divine minister, sir, ma'am, kind, sweet, smart, genius, helpful, African American, Western European, German American, well educated, loving, caring, faithful and so on. Those same people often love to label themselves positively with many of the various positive names. Yet many of these same people are often the same people who cannot stand to be called a name in a negative fashion, even when it is well deserved, because their skin is too thin or their emotions too sensitive. In fact when that happens these people often scream foul and say that "name calling" is immature! They revert to negative name calling themselves when they do that, but they do not see that they are actually doing such, they feel above "name calling". I suggest that such an attitude is immature. As I see it, you have illustrated this point perfectly by you last post. I really had not called you any bad names, nor did I even imply anything negative about you. I jested, I rebutted, and I asked some questions that may have made you uncomfortable. Then I quite unintentionally did just what I said I could do in the following:
I can push anyone enough to get them mad enough to call me a name, so long as they can understand me, and so long as they can speak or write or sign.
Did you see that I had done that? It really was rather unintentional but, by virtue of your reply to me, it became a test of sorts. I guess the test became seeing how long it would take for me to push someone's buttons to get a person to revert to the so called 'immature' act of name calling. I guess, in your case, I pushed the right buttons because in your very first sentence of your reply you called me, I think, by implication, a name. Didn't you do that? It really was not my intention. If I had really meant to push your buttons it would have been much more intense. Yet nonetheless your buttons were apparently pushed.
You don't need to get all "smart" with me.
You were right though, I don't have to get all smart with you, but it is just that I am fairly smart, so why not remain that way. But alas, I am pretty sure you did not mean that in a complimentary manner - did you! Oh, by the way, just how immature is it to call someone names?
If you had viewed my post as did James, then maybe you would have realized my post was little more than a good natured rebuttal, sprinkled with some humor, of your opinion. It was my opinion and as for opinions and their importance:
ALL of the above are based on OPINION, not fact. That is where my problem lies. Not everyone has the same opinion. What makes someone a genius in one person's eyes may not be the same for another person. So you're saying that it's better to rely on other people's opinions rather than make your own? Again, I disagree.
As for this point, are you kidding: who made reference to the opinions of Cote in such a, seemingly to me, self satisfied manner? Who is apparently, as I see it, basing her whole argument (her opinion) upon the writings (opinions) of another person? Of course I depend upon the opinions of others when forming my own opinion; it is a fool who pays them no mind at all. I also depend upon factual evidence in addition to opinion. I also base my opinion upon physical evidence. Then I form my own opinion. To not do at least all of these, whenever possible, would be reckless.
If you are saying you do not, ever in any instance, depend upon the opinions of others in forming your own opinion, then you are, in my opinion: a joker, a liar, crazy, or a woman apart. By a woman apart, I truly mean: a woman alone in her uniqueness from the rest of mankind. Yet again I find myself asking: Who just cited Cote? My opinion could be wrong. It could be proven wrong. It also could be right. If my opinion is correct, it would not be to difficult to determine which it is among my choices that was/were correct. Once so determined it would be a fact, wouldn't it? You can be a proven trutful person or a proven liar. You can be a proven moron or a proven genius. Although genius is harder to prove, it is provable based upon standards, not based upon opinion. Yes there can be a significant difference between standards and opinion. Yet if someone creates a concept such as genius, and then sets standards for it - who are you or I to change those standards. We are just people with opinions. Of course the standards can change. Such can be good or it can be bad. That is a problem of its own - the ever changing standards in our world today reflect a problem of people who cannot accept anything as being the way it is, in a set fashion because they canot accept anyone else's opinion as being authoritative. That is another problem, but one that is linked to this discussion. Yet I digress, and will get back to the points you made.
Oh well, I guess we disagree, now what would you have me do? Should I declare war on you, should I rant and rave calling you bad names, should I kiss your bottom and change my opinion simply because we disagree - or should I rather turn the slate over to you with best regards? I choose to do the latter.
Best regards,
Glenn B
