On 2 Oct 2006 14:23:14 -0700, "Jay Honeck" wrote
in . com:

Not everyone is a thick-skinned as we are, and -- if we want GA to grow
-- we need to be welcoming everyone into this group with open arms, not
poison pens.

Welcoming EVERYONE? You feel critical thinking* is misplaced? You
would recommend welcoming the likes of Mohammed Atta, AOL users, Ted
Kaczynski, Ted Bundy, John W. Hinckley, Jr, ...? Welcoming EVERYONE
could reduce Usenet to a the status of FidoNet. If you don't mean
'everyone,' don't use absolute language.

You know, imitating Steven McNicoll won't get you anywhere with me,
Larry...

;-)

Oh! Now that was a rude analogy! :-) :-) (LOL)

Say what you will about the pedantic Mr. McNicoll, but the vast
majority of his comments are accurate and succinct, and contain useful
INFORMATION. He uses his full name, knows how to punctuate and
capitalize, and lends an air of dignity befitting an airman. Those
unenlightened, ignorant, two-digit IQ, illiterate, wannabes who dilute
the content of this newsgroup with banal attempts at crass humor and
insipid, empty headed comments reflect badly on airmen in this
worldwide forum. I'll take one McNicoll to a dozen of the latter.

Seriously, you need to develop a method of filtering language so you
can detect mild hyperbole. In this case "Everyone" doesn't mean
"Adolph Hitler" or "Sadaam Hussein", or "Bill Clinton"

You're have the arrogance to fault me for your improper use of the
language?! You can attempt to redefine the meaning of the word
'everyone' all you like, but I doubt you'll be successful at making it
mean other than: every person; everybody. If English were your second
language, I would not be so critical of your casual use of it.

Say what you mean, and mean what you say. It is not incumbent upon me
to have to divine your meaning. You are capable expressing your
thoughts explicitly (aren't you?).

It's difficult enough in written communications to correctly infer the
writer's meaning without the benefit of observing body language. And
last thing I want to be guilty of is reading something into a person's
prose that they didn't intend.

-- but it DOES mean guys like NW_Pilot, who is CLEARLY not a timid soul.

Mr. Rhine posted something that was dumb and illegal when he first
began to de-lurk. He met swift and significant criticism. His
feelings were hurt, and he threatened to quit rec.aviation.piloting.
But after the psychic pain of the initial lashing wore off, and he was
able to reflect on that responses he received, he gained a new respect
for the fellowship of airmen and himself, and he has ceased to be a
black eye for the public image of airmen. I would guess that he would
rather be criticized than have to wade through hundreds of banalities.
Incidentally, to give you some idea of the intimidation factor you
(and
others) cause in this 'group, in the name of "keeping the
signal-to-noise ratio high", I have received quite a few off-line
emails THANKING me for bringing up the flaming in this group.

Ironically -- sadly -- they sent the messages to me off-group, for fear
of the reaction they might generate by posting.

Well here's a message thread they can use to express their views.

Those who are so fearful of public ridicule as to refrain from
participating in this newsgroup probably do so because they have
nothing, other than chit chat and banalities, to contribute. If not,
let's see them post some relevant INFORMATION or personal experiences.
If they can't stand critique, they should probably stick to other
forums like rec.aviation.misc where they can wallow in the mud with
others of their ilk.

Your noble attempt to champion the timid reflects your view of what
Usenet should be: a place to kibitz with friends. Although many
newsgroups have degenerated to that level, thankfully this one hasn't
yet. That's what makes it attractive and useful. When it becomes a
bunch of grandmas chatting over the back fence, you will not see me
posting any longer.

I wish you had seen Usenet before AOL. Talk about intimidation; the
conversation was so witty and erudite, that no one ventured a post
without meaty content and careful attention to detail.

Please, let's not welcome those comments that would cause the lay
public think we airmen are a bunch of vulgar simpletons and
Philistines who lack critical thinking skills.

Obviously we are at opposite ends of the spectrum on this issue. I
have history on my side.