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Re: toning down some

Mark 'Kamikaze' Hughes wrote:

 I tend to respond bluntly and point it out when someone's obviously
playing social dominance games instead of dealing with the subject.  I
can't tell right now if Thom's trolling or simply inexperienced and
posturing to hide that fact.  If he's underinformed but enthusiastic
about the subject anyway, he'll knock it off and try to post about
interactive drama instead of just naming random names.  If he's
trolling, he won't.

 I'll try to be nicer, but while I'm a helpful and generous guy, it's
not really in my nature to be too gentle.



Ok, that's enough. I refrained from commenting before because it should have been self-evident that you were making an ass out of yourself, Hughes, but clearly you live in a basement with no mirrors - and have never heard of Google.

1) Why don't you find out who you are talking about before you make things any worse - Thom Gillespie, was probably *doing*, not just writing about, interactive media when you were still in diapers. Not to mention making an actual difference in the world with his work.

Not to make an argument from authority, because there really is no excuse for the way you are talking, no matter who you are talking to, but it just makes you, remarkably, *more* absurd to be making these comments about the well-respected director of the MIME program at Indiana University (among other roles). Particularly when one looks at your resume by comparison.

2) People tend to resort to direct personal insults when they are unable to intellectually defend the merits of their argument. At least, some people do. Which is why most of us didn't even bother to comment on your shooting-blanks blather--kudos to Brandon for having the patience to give you a shot at regaining some perspective---the rest of us just sighed, shook our heads and were ready to move on. You should have stopped when you were merely way behind.

3) Even most of those people who resort to childish insults do have the grace and maturity to apologize when called on their ignorance. Those who don't are really not doing themselves proud, particularly when their arrogance has no basis in reality, and is misdirected towards people who have real credentials, yet don't feel the childish need to assert them--and who have been remarkably patient and tolerant given the mediocre level of civility to date in this discussion (I am being charitable in my characterizations).

4) Get out in the sun, gain some perspective, and rejoin the conversation. It is clearly too much to ask you to find some humility, so I think we'll all be satisfied if you just aren't so blatantly distasteful. Most of us are hear to learn from one another, not to presume to lecture everyone.

Thanks,

- galiel