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

Hi JCNSmith

This is the second time I've visited your user space - both times because of your posts in Felonius Monk's conversation 'Taking stock'.

I've been a researcher - or rather a conversationalist - in this community for almost five years.

For the last year I've heard the 'oldies' mourn about the downfall of the community and I have asked several times what is the right way or the right approach to being here. No answer as yet. I appreciate the diversity of the community. The easygoing, hilarious and some times absurd conversations. The serious and semi-serious discussions. The snippets of knowledge of other people's daily life in various countries and from various points of view - I think it contributes to remove prejudices. The occasional piece of information on subjects I didn't know I wanted to have.

I have asked about the 'right way' because it seems there is an inner circle of some kind, the members of which know the answer.

I have the same regard for h2g2 as you state in post 19 of 'Taking stock'.

Granted I do not contribute to any guides - edited or under-. In my w*rklife I'm a journalist and write what equals edited guides and/or AWW-entries every day.

I log onto h2g2 for my personal pleasure and development - not a professional.

And I come to your space to add you to my friends' list - if that is ok with you?

Here's my calling card

[tartaronne ]

"I come to your space to add you to my friends' list - if that is ok with you?" Most assuredly, it is ok with me, with the proviso that I may add you to my friends list in the bargain.

Regarding the ongoing discussion in FM's "Taking Stock" conversation, as he continues to explain his position more explicitly, I'm coming to understand more and more clearly where he's coming from and to understand and sympathize with his obviously heartfelt disillusionment with what apparently is a current trend at h2g2. To some of us who are "of a certain age," facts are important things, not to be treated lightly.

I suspect that my "presence" here at h2g2 may end up being somewhat along the lines of that which you've described as your own. Time will tell. At any rate, nice to make your acquaintance.

Pleased to meet you, too. Of course you can add me as a friend. I do not write many journals, but feel free to participate in any of the conversations I'm in.

I am, too, of a certain age (53 to be precise) and want to have my own (and other's) facts right.

I am Danish, and English is my second language. It means that I sometimes do not get my grammar og spelling right, and that I sometimes have difficulty in following some argumentations. But then, being a journalist, I'm not afraid to ask.

"I am Danish, and English is my second language." Had you not told me, I'd never have guessed that English was not your native language. Perhaps needless to say, your English is infinitely better than my Danish, which, unfortunately, is nonexistent.

When I was a child, one of my parents' closest friends was a wonderful old gentleman whose family had come to the US from Denmark. (You've no doubt gleaned from my conversations that I'm a "yank.") He became like a dear and beloved "grandfather" to me. Being a great story teller, he told me many tales of his youth and many "tall tales" of all sorts. Because of that relationship, I've always had an especially warm place in my heart for all Danes, imagining them all to be the same sort of wonderful people that he was. Of course, this was, and still is, a valid assumption, I trust?

Please feel free to join in any of my conversations, too, or to contact me as you see fit. I agree with an earlier observation you made that participating in these sorts of discussions helps remove prejudices. This is something the world needs desperately (removing prejudices).
js

>>I've always had an especially warm place in my heart for all Danes, imagining them all to be the same sort of wonderful people that he was. Of course, this was, and still is, a valid assumption, I trust?<<

How can I answer anything but 'yes' to this.

We have our fair share of not so pleasant and not so wise and tolerant persons, though - also among politicians.

It's 00:20 and I have to w*rk to meet a deadline tomorrow - so 'night for now.

"We have our fair share of not so pleasant and not so wise and tolerant persons, though" Ahh, now do be careful not to burst my rosy little bubble!

In thinking about this in the context of our earlier mention of prejudices, it occurs to me that perhaps positive prejudices are not such a bad thing. All prejudices, whether positive or negative, seem to have a way of becoming self-fulfilling. If one goes into a new relationship with positive expectations it can subtly (or perhaps not so subtly) affect one's behavior in such a way as to elicit positive behavior from the other person, which in turn strengthens one's own positive attitude and behavior, which in turn, ... etc., etc. And of course the same process can occur in the reverse direction for negative expectations.

Which leads to one interesting aspect of internet acquaintances such as this. Often when we begin such an acquaintance we have little or no knowledge of the other person's nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, age, economic status, appearance, etc. We tend to base our intital impressions on the content of the other person's ideas, i.e., on how and what they write. We either find it appealing or not. This tends to level the playing field a bit, at least during the early stages of forming a new acquainance.

Ideally, one would like to think and hope that the content of one's ideas would count for more than these other, superficial tags that we tend almost automatically and unthinkingly to attach to one another. Having once attached these tags, we then tend to use the tags to pidgeonhole one another according to some sort of interesting, more or less subconscious, mental calculation, the precise nature of which probably differs from person to person. That pidgeonholing may or may not represent an accurate assessment and portrayal of the person. Once the pidgeonholing is done, however, it becomes difficult (though perhaps not impossible) for the person to amend or escape that initial pidgeonhole.

All of which is an extremely long-winded and roundabout way of saying that I tend to like the sort of somewhat more level playing field (one still needs access to a computer and internet connection, which certainly is not universal) that one finds on the internet.

I hope you meet (or met) your deadline.
js