Re: Writing about places you haven't been Re: Reference material


"Tina Hall" <Tina_Hall@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:MSGID_2=3A240=2F2199.13=40fidonet_3f4ca516@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Patricia C. Wrede <pwrede6492@xxxxxxx> wrote:
"Bill Swears" <wswears@xxxxxxx> wrote in

Accurate and unemotional. You know, JAD made essentially this
observation just up-thread, but did it in his inimitable style,
which means a lot of people reading probably got all up in arms.

It's a combination of training and practice and cheap tricks.
The training was my college papers (and also earning some
occasional spare cash typing up stuff for friends, one of whom
was a philosophy major);

(Above left in for context.)

the practice is 15+ years of on-line argument, starting with Fidonet;

I've got almost as much (around 13 to 14 years, Fidonet included), and
it did me no good. I'm still working on how to phrase things to pry more
information out of people rather than end up arguing. (With those that
look willing to help, anyway.)

Well, in the most recent kerfluffle, you could have made a comment such as,
"They use cloth for money the way we use paper for money. It's not that
paper is valuable; it's that it's *money*. And of course they refer to
denominations by type of cloth, the way people in the U.S. refer to
"greenbacks." Now, about the *prices*..." Which has the double merit of
not starting an argument and (probably) making the person you're talking to
feel really dumb for not seeing it.

You wouldn't *believe* how many posts I've deleted unsent in the past
week.

I have deleted a few things, but mainly for 'this is just rambling, not
contributing or enquiring'.

I do that, too, but I'm aware enough of my temper that I *also* review
things for "is this going to be pouring oil on a fire?" and "do I really
want to say this, given that so-and-so is sure to react to it -- do I really
want to get into that argument?"

It gives me a totally undeserved reputation for being calm
and reasonable; my family, in particular, think that's hilarious.

:)

Hey, it's one of the things I love about writing. You can spend hours
thinking up a good comeback, and nobody knows -- even on Usenet, it could
just be lag time or not having been home to read messages.

You think college papers and typing up stuff for friends are responsible
for the difference?

Well, the philosophy major's stuff certainly had an influence. The parts of
it I understood, anyway. He was a frighteningly intelligent person, even
for Carleton -- he double-majored, finished in three years, *and* graduated
summa cum laude.

Patricia C. Wrede


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