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I was thinking about the initial abruptness/rudeness shown to Duke1966. Of course this isn't the first time we have seen rank arrogance, outright offensiveness and intolerable boorishness in these fora - particularly when lay members have the hide to express opinions about the sacred cows various scientific disciplines. Why does it happen at all in a forum such as this?
I confess to being initially wary about the original posting. We have seen this forum hijacked all too often lately by people either practicing outright scams or flogging links to pirate movies (or whatever they are). And in an age when computer viruses are becoming more destructive and invasive, when scams are becoming more sophisticated and prevalent, we have become hypersensitive to things that seem "out of place " or just feel wrong for some reason. We see this often when the poster - like Duke1966 - is a first-time poster. And when the language used in the posting seems somewhat stilted or contrived, that suspicion become all the greater.
On this occasion, Duke1966 has borne the brunt. Unfortunately, his original posting rang the wrong bells with me and, obviously, others. If he/she is genuine and his/her posting intended seriously, then any hurt is to be regretted. But on the other hand, the reaction cannot have been all that surprising. The lesson is think twice before pressing the send key. I just did and decided to send anyway!
Peter
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