The Generation Gap

[windshieldbug]

Funny, that. I find Wade to be straight-forward and honest with folks and NOT "mean-spirited."
My glasses are, admittedly though, a different shade of rose than most.

Ask him. It's hardly an inside joke...

[Rick Denney]

As you can see, I don't (and didn't mean to) describe the words/phrases as "mean-spirited." I said (albeit unclearly) that the words/phrases I think are overly severe have been aimed at those posters who have been determined to be "mean-spirited," often by those attempting to take the moral high ground. It wasn't my main point, just an aside which I found ironic.

Well, I'm thick, but I'm still not getting it.

Your ironic observation is that people complaining about mean-spiritedness are using the words you listed. That you think it is ironic implies that using such words to describe mean-spiritedness is itself mean-spirited.

For example, it is ironic that I would accuse some people of taunting others, claiming that it is mean-spirited to do so, but by doing so, I am myself demonstrating mean-spiritedness. I fail to see the irony if it means anything else.

I have often noted the irony of which you speak--people who complain incessantly about incessant complaining, for example. It happens a lot and it never fails to amuse me.

But I was the only one who used the word "taunt", and I used it to describe those who wrote to get a rise out of those from whom they wanted that rise. It's often done in good humor, which therefore precludes it being mean-spirited, and my complaint was based on their behavior rather than their character, so I wasn't complaining of mean-spiritedness by being mean-spirited (and thus demonstrating irony).

Perhaps you are observing that not everyone receives it in good humor, as intended, and then they complain of being subjected to mean-spiritedness. That is a worthy observation. But it wasn't "they" who used the word "taunt". It was me, and I issued no such complaints. Also, that doesn't seem ironic, unless their complaint is in itself mean-spirited.

Let's just agree that you should not have used any of my words in your list.

Rick "that was a joke; you can laugh" Denney

[Todd S. Malicoate]

Let's just agree that you should not have used any of my words in your list.

Ok...I'll take off "taunt," "requiring some rite of passage," and "pissing match," but I'm going to hold on to "needless piss and vinegar" for a while...mostly because I find it very funny.

Todd S. "who sincerely hopes your thread has the desired effect" Malicoate

[bearphonium]

<insert popcorn eating icon here>

Doc, I would love to meet for some of that Cream Ale sometime. I have never tried home brewing because the difference between "enough" and "too much" blurs for me on some things (the two big ones being Almond Roca and Tequilla) and I believe home-brew would jump to the top of that list!

Sean, thanks for running this site. Improvements and all.

To anyone who has posted on this site, thanks for helping me learn about the tuba. And tuba players. I already knew beer...well...too well.