Terrestrial comments from Will Schryver thread

[_Droopy]

See what I mean about your posts lacking substance? 25 words just to say "neener neener."

I understand that It deeply offends and knaws at people like Buffalo, Kevin, Delusion, Tarski and others here, that some of us actually think and write at somewhat above 7th or 8th grade level.

What rather takes me aback is that some of the people who are flummoxed by "thick," complex, sophisticated writing and command of the English language have degrees and have been themselves to college and university themselves.

A sign of the turbid, addlepated postmodern times perhaps?

[_Droopy]

Droopy,

I have no desire to rehash this issue with you. I had forgotten about it until you brought it up, in fact, which is pretty indicative of my interest in the topic.

For those who are interested in whether or not I unfairly accused Droopy of using sexual innuendoes to insult female posters, please see these threads:

http://mormondiscussions.com/phpBB3/vie ... 26#p331226


http://mormondiscussions.com/phpBB3/vie ... 78#p157878

Thank you for letting me know how sincere your apology was to me, Droopy. In other words – not sincere at all. Just like your other “apologies” – scare quotes intended.

You have been told, unending times, that all of this is in your head, and was not in mine. I've never aimed any "sexual innuendos" at either you or any other female here. I have engaged in talk regarding sexual matters, some of which was in humor, jest, or as snarky criticism of certain posters, but not innuendo or suggestiveness.

Get, as the old saying goes, a life.

[_Droopy]

So says this petty, bitter, vulgar, foul mouthed, hissing spitting little exmo commie gasbag sitting in a cinder block hut in a shantytown in Brazil with a bottle of Kahlua, a laptop stolen from an American tourist by the Shining Path, and stack of printed out Huffington Post blog entries by people laboring within the constraints of the same mental capacity that are his sole source of intellectual input.

One has to hand it to Graham, he really does believe we're too stupid not to perceive both his fantastic hypocrisy as well as his intellectual vacuity - and connect the dots.

I think you've provided a graphic representation of pretty much the entire psychological structure of this and the other anti-Will thread, as well as of those who've generated and supported its goals and aims.

[_Buffalo]

Kudos to you and Wade for exerting massive amounts of effort trying to be pedantic. You pull it off better than Wade, but neither of you has the intellectual horsepower to be a true pedant. You've got the attitude, but not the brain power.

As I say, this tells me a great deal with respect to your own intellectual temperament and personal psychology, but quite nothing about either me, Wade, or Will.

I don't, if you haven't grasped it by now, place a great deal of veracity in what someone laboring within the constraints and boundaries of your own brain power thinks about mine.

I base this on your posting history here, not just on the fact that I disagree with you on most things.

Don't strain yourself flipping through that thesaurus, now.

[_Buffalo]

See what I mean about your posts lacking substance? 25 words just to say "neener neener."

I understand that It deeply offends and knaws at people like Buffalo, Kevin, Delusion, Tarski and others here, that some of us actually think and write at somewhat above 7th or 8th grade level.

What rather takes me aback is that some of the people who are flummoxed by "thick," complex, sophisticated writing and command of the English language have degrees and have been themselves to college and university themselves.

A sign of the turbid, addlepated postmodern times perhaps?

And here comes the self-stroking again, with liberal thesaurus abuse. I was wrong - you do a pretty good pedant impersonation after all.

Here's a pro-tip: no one is impressed with your ability to pull up thesaurus.com.

[_Droopy]

Don't strain yourself flipping through that thesaurus, now.

Exactly what I would expect from someone who thinks and cogitates at a 7th to 8th grade level.

[_The Reaping]

You seem to have some strange notion that if something is true it isn't an attack? Why do you think that?

I see your point, but when something is so well-established as to be a mundane fact, I don't think it really counts as a personal attack.

Example: Goebbels was a Nazi. I'm not personally attacking Goebbels by calling him a Nazi.

And I see youur point as well. I think it should be noted that Goebbels self identified as a Nazi, but Will disputes the misogyny charge. And frankly, I fail to see by any of the quotes that Will has any special hatred for women. He has been just as crude with male posters as female ones. Will just strikes me as someone who likes to talk trash and push people's buttons.

[_Runtu]

Exactly what I would expect from someone who thinks and cogitates at a 7th to 8th grade level.

I know it does no good, but as a professional writer, I can tell you that overuse of secondary vocabulary marks one as a poor writer, whether one is or is not. For example, a good writer would never say "thinks and cogitates" because the phrase is redundant and thus comes across as overblown.

I've said before that I'm impressed with your efforts to educate yourself, both formally and on your own. But take some advice from a friend: save the secondary vocabulary for when it is appropriate. Good writing involves discipline and economy, both of which take practice.

[_Chap]

I don't, if you haven't grasped it by now, place a great deal of veracity in what someone laboring within the constraints and boundaries of your own brain power thinks about mine.

That's a new way of using the word "veracity", I think.

I don't believe I have ever seen an educated native English speaker writing of "placing" veracity in something. Try a Google Advanced Search for the exact phrase "place veracity" and see how many examples you get. The only example in normal English on the first page seems to be where someone talks about getting a book called "Veracity" into bookstores, which doesn't really count.

I think Droopy really mean something like "credence" - you can certainly "place credence" in something in normal English usage - again, try the exact phrase in Google, and see how common the phrase is.

I sincerely applaud Droopy's efforts to become an educated person. It can't be easy. But often the more you learn about the English language, the simpler your prose gets. Using lots of big words in strange ways is what bright but naïve kids often do, until they have read enough good writing to show them how unnecessary it is.

[_Runtu]

But often the more you learn about the English language, the simpler your prose gets. Using lots of big words in strange ways is what bright but naïve kids often do, until they have read enough good writing to show them how unnecessary it is.

Exactly. I've always loved E.B. White's statement from the timeless "Elements of Style":

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.