On Wed, 2008-05-21 at 15:57 +0100, Ned Slider wrote: > William L. Maltby wrote: > > > > But keep in mind you were only a "virtual ass". Not really one. And the > > person who labeled you as an ass may have been, in fact, the ass. > > Regardless, his was only a "virtual opinion". And unless you have a > > personal relationship and really care what he felt... > > > > So that would have been the Virtual Johnny Hughes then, not the real one ;) > > http://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos/2008-May/098996.html Regardless of who it is... We've all (probably) had days where our best side was not displayed. I've been a virtual and real ass many times in my life. Mostly in my "youth". As I got older, it happened less and less frequently. But I do expect that I will have future bouts "assiness". The loss of "sense of community" engendered by cyberspace works with the environment of the younger set to "dehumanize" us. We become "objects" rather than "persons". The is no prohibition against vile acts towards "objects". It takes an awareness, personal effort and some discipline to resist this dehumanizing effect. For the folks that I have seen here long enough to come to "know", I easily overlook small transgressions to are contrary to their normal behavior. This is easy because I can see and appreciate them as "persons" and fit the occasional human foibles into the context of the image of them I've developed. So whether it's Johnny or any of the other frequent "denizens", an occasional slip doesn't even get remembered after a while. Generosity and "forgiveness" (as if it was really needed) towards others is easy when I look within myself and see "them" right there inside myself. For you TX folks, I'm an old AZ boy. I suspect we have some very similar views on things. But I'm also afraid that those "commonly held principals" have slipped into the past. Some for the good, some for the worse. *sigh*. > <snip sig stuff> -- Bill