I probably should just shut up on this but given that this forum is a lot of fun and that I've learned a lot from it, I wanted to pass on a little story from my profession: archaeology:
Many many years ago, there were a whole string of papers published in several leading professional archaeological journals that were very nasty back and forth exchanges that were the equivalent of man-on-the-street name-calling. Most should never have been published. Then, a leading well-respected archaeologist published an editorial in the lead journal called "On the Archaeology of the Absurd and Green Slimy Frogs". He rightfully called all involved in the debates to task for their behavior and pointed out that it was insulting not only to each other, but also to anyone who read the articles. He asked: "Spare us your derogatory wit." Then he commented that it all reminded him of an exchange he heard between his nine year old son and his friend next door: "You're a frog." "Oh yeah? Well You're a green frog." "Yeah? Well you're a green slimy frog" "Well you're a green slimy frog with a wart on your nose!" From a nine-year old this can be amusing. In adult discourse, it is offensive. Please, refrain from the name-calling. There's no need for anyone here to use "stupid" or "idiot" or the like in this forum. Thanks. It felt good to rant a moment! --HW
