A recent post by Amanda Gladden pointed out, quite accurately, that the
general level of civility on this list has been suffering. Mostly, of
course, this is due to the Petersen Duo, and in particular to Joseph
Mastropaolo's frequent and annoying (and invariably ridiculous) "wagers".
Just now I read yet another message asking for such a wager. How many is
this now? Four or five?
These wagers, of course, appear to be presented *only* for the purposes of
mockery. That is, Joseph presents them because he knows he can't make his
points in a straightforward logical way. (Or, at any rate, he appears
unwilling to do so.) Making these wagers allows him to try to appear as
though he has proved his case, and that evolutionists are completely proven
to be unable to "put their money where their mouths are". This, in turn,
allows him to feel justified in his frequent "woe is me, the barbarians are
ravaging the countrysides of truth" speeches. He is playing to an
audience; although it's not clear that the audience consists of anyone
other than him and Janet Miller.
What I suggest is what was suggested to me: simply ignore these wager
posts. If he makes a valid point worthy of response, respond to it, and
omit anything he says about wagers. I don't mean to be dictating to anyone
the way they must write, of course. But I do think the complete
elimination of these wagers from *our* discourse could have the eventual
effect of convincing Joseph to shut up about them. (Call me an optimist.)
And now, lest I go an entire post without contradicting myself: a wager for
Joseph.
----
To Joseph:
Since wagers and insults are your chosen mode of communication, I will
adopt your language for the purposes of talking to you.
I offer you a wager: from now on, cease with your ridiculous wagers and
rhetoric, and respond only to posts where you have something of
significance to say. The winnings? If you can do this, you have the
chance to gain back some of the respect you have lost on this list thus
far. If you fail... well, then you can expect continued contempt. You've
got nothing to lose. Don't look like a miserable four-flushing whatnot to
the entire world. I will repeat this challenge constantly over the next 10
days, and, if you fail to come through, I will gloat loudly that your
entire belief system is soundly falsified. [Well, no I won't. But this
wouldn't be a genuine paragraph in Mastropaolese if I didn't make the
threat. And for this same reason, I must now present the obligatory
highflown rhetoric.] Oh, roar, roar! If only Joseph Mastropaolo were a
lover of truth instead of lies! If only his constant spewing about wagers
were not destroying little ocelots and spotted owls every day! If only his
theories did not constitute the greatest fraud in all the universe! Well,
not to worry, you now have a chance to accept the Ultimate Dream Challenge
of All Time and Space and the 4th Dimension Too!
----
To all again:
My apologies for the mocking tone of this letter. It certainly won't help
the civility issue I brought up. I'm just (after a few personal failures
in this regard) agreeing with those who have suggested Joseph be ignored
until he is ready to stop playing silly games.
Cheers,
Mike Hardie
<hardie@globalserve.net>
http://www.globalserve.net/~hardie/dv/