[DC 86]

One of my pleasures with the old CEB was the opportunity to express myself with a stridency I would never used (sic) in flesh-and-blood life.

I hold the exact opposite view. The bane of message boards are keyboard warriors being "strident" in a way that they would never be IRL. I have never posted something in a manner that I wouldn't say (or haven't said) to someone standing right in front of me. To do otherwise is the height of cowardice. Controversy is interesting and presenting different views is the point of all this, but we need less "stridency" based on hiding behind the protection of a computer screen.

I have to note that 'height of cowardice' is a rather strident characterization to use in a post decrying stridency.

In any case, you are not dealing with the whole personality on an Internet chat board, but an Internet avatar. I enjoy the give and take and never take anything personally.

I never decried stridency per se, only your defense of inconsistent message board and real life tone. I would have made the same exact "rather strident characterization" if we were having an in-person conversation, that was my point.

[DC 86]

One of my pleasures with the old CEB was the opportunity to express myself with a stridency I would never used (sic) in flesh-and-blood life.

I hold the exact opposite view. The bane of message boards are keyboard warriors being "strident" in a way that they would never be IRL. I have never posted something in a manner that I wouldn't say (or haven't said) to someone standing right in front of me. To do otherwise is the height of cowardice. Controversy is interesting and presenting different views is the point of all this, but we need less "stridency" based on hiding behind the protection of a computer screen.

I have to note that 'height of cowardice' is a rather strident characterization to use in a post decrying stridency.

In any case, you are not dealing with the whole personality on an Internet chat board, but an Internet avatar. I enjoy the give and take and never take anything personally.

I never decried stridency per se, only your defense of inconsistent message board and real life tone. I would have made the same exact "rather strident characterization" if we were having an in-person conversation, that was my point.