Pineapple Express: Someone Is Wrong on the Internet?

[trappedslider]

The problem always arises when a situation looks like a Christmas decoration. :S

I thought the red flags meant it was a carnival

 

[Scribe]

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Whataboutism is not critical thought.

 

[trappedslider]

I have a pair of related reactions.

1. It’s fine to have bright red lines that tell you can expect not to have a good time if you go further. But then you should STOP, disengage, and go out your attention onto something else. Continuing may be necessary for, say, work, or academic analysis, or crucial personal importance. But the overwhelming majority of the time it isn’t and you’re just setting yourself up for unhappiness and fighting.

2. Actively looking for green lines that suggest you’re likely to have fun with at least part of something and seeking them out is very healthy and productive. More people should do it.

Maybe I'm just more optimistic and willing to acknowledge that both sides have a point and that you shouldn't let blind hatred/dislike cloud your judgement.

But then again who knows what I'd be like after dealing with people for a job like retail (for more than seasonal) or any field in which you have to deal with people who complain a lot. I'd like to think I wouldn't let it get me down but who knows. I did once buy a shirt just to make a point when i started having to use one of these

the shirt said "Keep staring, I might do a trick"

 

[Autumnal]

Maybe I'm just more optimistic and willing to acknowledge that both sides have a point and that you shouldn't let blind hatred/dislike cloud your judgement.

I agree - people shouldn’t be hasty to declare something intolerable. But having made that declaration, then they should move away from it. If they want to keep talking about it, then there should be some possibility they decide it’s okay. Topic and action should line up, one way or the other.

Also, I love hearing about your shirt.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

A lot of people skip words when they speak or write. It’s okay. We all do it. But if those skipped words are the key to understanding the whole, you’ve failed at clearly communicating. Part of being an editor is pointing out when words are skipped, rendering the communication unintelligible.

I’ve been trained in 3 forms of technical writing and one of my minors was in English. I have learned how to write, and more importantly, how to edit.

And even so, I occasionally catch myself skipping words or steps for things that it’s imperative are communicated clearly & succinctly.

In defense of pedantry -- there's a real danger in allowing people to refer to things in certain ways.

I was just reading an apparently infamous thread where a guy was mansplaining to an author about how she shouldn’t have used the word “vulva” when the proper term was “vagina”. He was immediately fact checked by the author herself, as well as other well-educated posters…including an OB-GYN.

And then he doubled down.

Jargon and TLAs obfuscate, they don't explain.

In Prof. Stanley Johanson’s Wills & Estates class, he boiled down a 25pg document down to 2 paragraphs on a single page.

His drafting philosophy- shared with several other faculty members- was that drafting for brevity and clarity were superior because it kept people from trying to exploit loopholes. Because fewer loopholes exist when you’re not using a cornucopia of legalese to draft your docs.

A long time ago (more than a decade), I posted on a completely different forum a comment that was (IMO) pretty funny. But ... it was a joking reference that I thought was so obvious that everyone would get it. In fact, I almost ended up deleting it after writing it because I was like, "Naw ... that's just so basic and obvious, it's barely worth doing."

Circa 1988-89, I was trying to write the final paper for an advanced philosophy class and had writer’s block. So I typed up a ridiculous intro: “Millions of years ago, when philososaurs ruled the earth…”

It was a big opening paragraph, offering an overview of their prey/predator relationships, like how Nietzschesaurs hunted helpless Hegelosaurs, etc., closing with “But most fearsome of all was the terrible Kantosaurus Rex, whose razor sharp teeth…oh wait…this is a FINAL paper!”

It cracked me up and- most importantly- broke my block. The paper flowed smoothly and was finished in a few hours. But I left the intro in place.

Dr. Luper-Foy was puzzled by my intro, and actually took off a couple of points. (A+ reduced to A. ) I didn’t challenge the downgrade, but I did show the paper to other majors and profs. Everyone else thought it was hilarious. (And ballsy.)

 

[trappedslider]

Dr. Luper-Foy was puzzled by my intro, and actually took off a couple of points. (A+ reduced to A. )

rude

 

[Mad_Jack]

2. Actively looking for green lines that suggest you’re likely to have fun with at least part of something and seeking them out is very healthy and productive. More people should do it.

<--- I happen to have lots of green lines... (Just saying, ladies...)

 

[Ryujin]

I thought the red flags meant it was a carnival

Car dealership.