In AA, it's kind of clear cut...the lowest members of the group are
newcomers and are picked on by everyone else who hopes that the newbies will
go back out and drink while the oldtimers survive off of the newbies
hardships. In this group, there are those who rise through opposition to
the established power base (confronting Richard every time he posts)...those
who rise on the coat-tails of the up-and-coming through agreement and
support...those who contribute new ideas and wish to rise on their own
merits, etc.
I don't really know why people are becoming offended nor what their ranking
is or by what standards. I have noticed that when my logic reaches a
certain point, people start making excuses and dropping like flies. Most do
not survive long enough to merit my pointed comments (shaking off the last
hangers-on). I would say that you *do*...that my own standard is IQ
(loosely interpreted to mean lack of defense mechanisms against an inate
ability to form good conclusions). ..and therefore that you rank high on the
list of intellligence...but that the point where insult occurs depends on
the dynamics of the thread being discussed (and that an insult is not an
insult unless someone takes offense).
Brett
Returning,
rBERTS%n
Rabble Sonnet Retort
The generation of random numbers is too important to be left
to chance.
Robert R. Coveyou
Oak Ridge National Laboratory