One of the best political writers of his day, Mark Twain, knew well to avoid the mistake you employ in so many of your posts pointing out the idiosynchrocies of the left of center.

You straight away go for the ego deflation and the left-of-center reader is going to be hurt and angry. You will either receive many non-response responses or the heated and defiant anger of Robert or Davin here.

The key is to sound less condemning and forming posts that state "Look...so-n-so is acting like a braying jackass again: 'LINK' - but don't worry I realize the long eared folks here are all mules and far better than donkeys."

Naturally, the difference is lost on them and not only do they feel they are being patronized, but they experience a considerable ego deflation if they agree with any part of your treatise. This then makes them lash out and try and prove that you are generalizing and somehow off the mark.

But back to Twain. Twain had a way of making the reader laugh and accept the worst forms of criticism because it came in a much more acceptable format.

For example, Davin replied saying:

"Now don't go cryin and bitching and pissing aloud when I point out your shit."

This sort of response is not going to get you to agree with him in a Trillion squared years. Argumentative and hostile it is completely the wrong approach to the pointed art of persuasion. However, had he replied:

"Tom's elucidating eloquence and posting prowess is a joy to partake of like a feast for the famished. If it is not perfection, it is so close as to be nearly indistinguishable. If I were absolutely forced to find a flaw in these monuments to magnificence, I know there is nothing I, a mere mortal, could ever think of to improve upon them.

Perhaps divinities whose linguistic skills infinitely excel my own, might see more with their eyes than mine do and might ask for inclusion of more precise terminology when identifying individuals or political groups. But this is such a trifle, less than a nuance, and I imagine even they find it hard to improve upon what seems to be utter post perfection."

Now that might make you think twice and smile while taking constructive criticism.

I know whenever I fail to use the Twain technique and go for the cheap and easy criticism of a political group - I always get the nasty replies from the left of center about me being in my own world or what have you. I confess that it is posting laziness on my part. It's pretty easy to tell if I am just letting loose a volley of verbiage or a more precise and pointed post.

;-)

There are posts to persuade and posts to irritate. While irritating can be fun, it is not as soul-satisfying as actually getting a closed mind to open up and re-evaluate their own worldviews.

SDAI-Tech1