On Sun, 25 Apr 2021 12:28:16 -0700
The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 04/25/2021 09:47 AM, Spiros Bousbouras wrote:
> Sometimes the loon is someone who was formerly just eccentric and an
> accepted part of the group. It made sense to explain things to him
> then, and it's hard to recognize the point of no return.

Explanations on usenet are for the potential benefit of everyone who might
read them. Sometimes it is worth replying to a comment not for the benefit of
the person who made the comment but for the benefit of the "community". There
are 2 easy criteria for when one should stop replying :

- The claims are so absurd that only a crackpot would believe them. A
crackpot won't get any benefits from replies (my conjecture is that
crackpots in the majority of cases can only be helped by a therapist ,
psychiatrist or something like that ; not by addressing the substance of
their claims , assuming the claims are even coherent) and non crackpots
either don't care or can see the absurdity of the claims.

- The discussion has been going around in circles and the same arguments and
counterarguments are being repeated with small variations. This by the way
is also a good point to stop even if no crackpots are involved. Reasonable
people can disagree after all.

> > It may also be that on average there are more retired people posting on
> > usenet now that there used to be so they have more time to waste.
>
> OTOH, we've learned enough to know better. The problem, of course, is
> that sometimes the bait is too tempting to resist.

For a lot of people this seems to be the case. This was one of the unexpected
things I learned ever since I started reading usenet : intelligent and
educated people can be baited and feel the compulsion to reply as much as
anyone else. The discussion on comp.theory I mentioned earlier has been
going on for months.

--
According to quantum mechanics there exists an alternative universe where there
are movies "Silence of the wolves" and "Dancing with lambs".

On 05/28/2021 09:18 AM, Spiros Bousbouras wrote:
> On Sun, 25 Apr 2021 12:28:16 -0700
> The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 04/25/2021 09:47 AM, Spiros Bousbouras wrote:
>> Sometimes the loon is someone who was formerly just eccentric and an
>> accepted part of the group. It made sense to explain things to him
>> then, and it's hard to recognize the point of no return.
>
> Explanations on usenet are for the potential benefit of everyone who might
> read them. Sometimes it is worth replying to a comment not for the benefit of
> the person who made the comment but for the benefit of the "community". There
> are 2 easy criteria for when one should stop replying :
>
> - The claims are so absurd that only a crackpot would believe them. A
> crackpot won't get any benefits from replies (my conjecture is that
> crackpots in the majority of cases can only be helped by a therapist ,
> psychiatrist or something like that ; not by addressing the substance of
> their claims , assuming the claims are even coherent) and non crackpots
> either don't care or can see the absurdity of the claims.
>
> - The discussion has been going around in circles and the same arguments and
> counterarguments are being repeated with small variations. This by the way
> is also a good point to stop even if no crackpots are involved. Reasonable
> people can disagree after all.

The crackpot in question has spent the last month talking only to himself.

>> > It may also be that on average there are more retired people posting on
>> > usenet now that there used to be so they have more time to waste.
>>
>> OTOH, we've learned enough to know better. The problem, of course, is
>> that sometimes the bait is too tempting to resist.

NextDoor is worse. Not actual crackpots, just really stupid people with
really stupid ideas. PLUS some of them can figure out who you are and
where you live.

> For a lot of people this seems to be the case. This was one of the unexpected
> things I learned ever since I started reading usenet : intelligent and
> educated people can be baited and feel the compulsion to reply as much as
> anyone else. The discussion on comp.theory I mentioned earlier has been
> going on for months.

Heh. Pikers! Come back in a couple of years and tell me they're still
going strong.

--
Cheers, Bev
You're such a loser that if there was a contest for losers
you'd come in second.