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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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