h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Can I suggest that we avoid personal digs an insults and keep to the subject at hand?

Well, suggest that first to Della, NPY. She insults people by making snide and snipey remarks, and we do . . . what? Not reply?

An example, my last question to her. She said I was just posting ad hominem crap. But really this was a smokescreen attempt so she wouldn't have to answer my question, which was not ad hominem in the slightest.

How would *you* deal with such tactics? Just ignore her?


az

You don't necessarily have to ignore something you feel to be hostile. If you wish to respond, how about doing it nicely, without retaliation?

I'm guessing you'd rather have a polite conversation? Well surely it's something we can all try. If we're all getting hostile, surely we'll just end up bouncing off each other and it'll escalate. Why not respond in a polite and peaceful manner?

I'm not being hostile, I'm being told I'm being hostile.

Quite different.



az

Well then, be careful how you word your posts. If you're even thought to be hostile then you will be responded to in a suimilar way.

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Actually, it turns out that it isn't so much how I word my posts, it's how they are read and who reads them. So, although I never try to intentionally upset anyone, I cannot possible consider every person on h2g2 and their possible reaction. And so if some people imagine me to be hostile and then reply in a hostile manner, I really don't see that there is anything I can do about this.


az

Ah, you three are all a bit upset, and so you respond the only way you know how... With a great big and a heap of abuse. My fault for bothering to try to debate y'all.

My mistake.

See what I mean, NPY?

This is another favourite Della tactic - telling other people how they are feeling. She certainly seems to have a rather inflated sense of self-importance as she imagines that she can somehow upset others. And you will also have noticed that every time she doesn't want to answer a question she accuses the other person of 'abusing' her while she goes on to abuse them or put words in their mouth.

Oh, and every now and then she gets all het up and 'unsubscribes' from a thread, only to continue lurking there and predictably coming back and starting the cycle all over again. I think we might be coming up to an unsubbing stage soon . . .


az

Well I'm sure we could all try and stay calm, post in a polite manner and try not to take offense where it might not have been posted. I'm probably just as guilty of misinterperting and misposting things.