On Mar 6, 10:13*pm, "Jay Honeck" wrote:
No, Phil -- you're just not grasping the content of the conversation, which
is a dispassionate analysis of *why* the French are the butt of so many
jokes in America. *Apparently you think that to discuss this phenomenon is
to somehow agree with it -- which is silly and just plain wrong.


If someone dispassionately says something which is a load of garbage
(which is what you have been doing), then others can dispassionately
tell him it is a load of garbage, which is what so many on this thread
have been doing. That isn't the same as saying it shouldn't be
discussed, which no one here has done. As far as agreeing with the
phenomenon, _you_ are the one who said the French are arrogant,
ignoble, and irrelevant. Are you claiming you don't agree with
yourself now??

As an aside, it is this national inability to discuss things dispassionately
that has lead to the near-complete polarization of the American political
climate. *Almost no topic can be discussed or analyzed without *someone*
making it into a personal affront -- and then dialogue just becomes noisy
shouting with no compromise.


Last time I looked, we were having a discussion, Jay. We're over 300
posts in this thread. That isn't a discussion?

There is an interesting analysis of this phenomenon in Newsweek this week
WRT the passing of William F. Buckley. * In his hey-day, Buckley would
invite people from all ends of the social and political spectrum to his show
(and into his home) to politely and intellectually discuss all manner of
topics -- and they would actually be able to debate the issues without
descending into chaos, the way the talk shows do today. * It was so
incredibly civilized, and stands in stark contrast to the way EVERYTHING is
taken personally nowadays.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Then I will leave you with a quote from Mr Buckley that I think
applies to much of what you have said so far. "I won't insult your
intelligence by asking you if you really believe what you just said."
BTW, that is just a civilized way of saying "I think what you just
said is a load of garbage."

Phil