Warp wrote:
> It's like you read only what you want to read. Then you accuse me of
> "launching an attack" or whatever.

I don't know about anyone else, but part of the problem I have in these 
conversations is when people say something[1], I make an important 
correction or other form of disagreement[2], and my response does not 
indicate that the reader has read and/or understood the point being made.[3]

In this conversation, for example, Warp says "If 90% of illegal immigrants 
look Mexican, wouldn't it be more efficient to focus on people who look 
Mexican?"[1]   I answer "No, the math doesn't work that way, because... for 
example..."[2]  And then Warp, instead of saying "Oh, I see, that's a good 
point I hadn't considered" before continuing the conversation, instead says 
"Stop nit-picking the math."  Or instead doesn't respond at all, giving the 
impression they haven't even read the answer.[3]  It would be far better to 
respond "Yes, I see what you're saying. However, I disagree because..." Then 
it wouldn't turn into a dead-horse-beating-fest.

The problem in this particular conversation here is that it appears to me 
Warp was dismissing as a nit-pick something that's the fundamental basic 
reason why his idea won't work regardless of which *correct* math one uses. 
There is no way to correct the math to make his idea work better than what 
we already have, but he never seems to acknowledge that he has understood 
the assertion (even if he disagrees), and instead reasserts he was saying 
something different than we seem to be arguing against. Yet he has not shown 
he understands our position.

That said, I'm probably guilty of some of the same behavior in my own way. 
But I can only speak from my point of view.

This is a recurring theme in many of these conversations, where one person 
says something important, and the other dismisses it in a way that makes it 
sound like it's unimportant and trivial. So the first person repeats the 
assertion, and the second gets POed that the first person keeps repeating 
himself.

That's why when someone convinces me, I follow up with something like 
"that's a fair point" rather than just letting the conversation stop. It 
let's the sender know the reader has heard.

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   Linux: Now bringing the quality and usability of
   open source desktop apps to your personal electronics.

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