What does Python fix?

[Joseph A Knapka]

phil hunt wrote:
>
> Joe Knapka wrote:
> > Aahz Maruch wrote: 
> >> Tell me, if you're not willing to follow cultural norms, why should
> >> people pay attention to you?
> >
> >That's a silly argument.
> 
> It's not an argument, rather a question.

It seemed clear to me that the intent was to present an
argument in the form of a rhetorical question, the
implication being, "There is no good answer to this
question, therefore you're wrong." I'm deeply sorry
if that was not the intent, <self.asshole_mode=1> in
which case I shall make a point to interpret Mr Maruch's
posts absolutely literally in future, so as not
to make such an embarassing mistake a second time;
however, I doubt such an interpretation was intended.
<self.asshole_mode=0>

> > Sometimes people who break cultural
> >norms are *exactly* the people you ought to be listening to.
> 
> That may be true; however, it is the case that people often ignore
> those who break cultural norms.

Yes; and then again, people often get into lengthy discussions
about those who break cultural norms. Very occasionally, this
leads (directly or indirectly) to a change in the norms. On the
gripping hand, often they end up shooting at each other :-(
On some groups I peek at occasionally, it is considered
extremely impolite *not* to begin certain messages with a
page or so of empty space, or a joke, or some other
material *completely irrelevant to the thread*.

Everyone's-hangup-is-someone-else's-norm-ly

Cheers,

-- Joe
"I should like to close this book by sticking out any part of my neck
 which is not yet exposed, and making a few predictions about how the
 problem of quantum gravity will in the end be solved."
 --- Physicist Lee Smolin, "Three Roads to Quantum Gravity"