I have decided to no longer answer all your questions because so many of your posts detract from the theme of this thread. At least, in my opinion. That is what continual harping on what-aboutism themes, etc. leads to.ibm9000 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 08, 2022 5:57 pm...How does one negotiate with someone who refuses to bargain in good faith?
BTW -I don't keep score, it seems that you do- have you been answering all my questions? I think this one was for me and I think to recall I gave you an answer (if not to your question): I don't serve at your pleasure. We give the opinions we want, we ask what we want, we answer what we want.
(Unless Big Brother intervenes).
As you say, I don't serve at your pleasure, so I also give opinions that I want to give.
I also am not interested in wasting my time with somebody who doesn't even want to bother to give links or proper citations to support what on the surface are outlandish claims. Citations in such circumstances are merely a matter of good scholarship practices. Even if you cannot provide a link, explaining the source such as a specific book, magazine or newspaper article is fundamental. If you are unwilling to meet even that minimal standard of good scholarship, then the motivation for me to debate diminishes greatly.
It is easier to lie, or pass along somebody else's lie, than it is to take minimal steps toward being sure that one is writing the truth. Deception tilts the playing field. I am simply not interested in playing on such a tilted playing field, even if it is with somebody who also sometimes makes good and interesting points.
Sure, I may on occasion provide links to sources that others find untrustworthy. Still, I try to identify at least the proximate source for my claim. That leaves it to the reader to decide whether the cited source is trustworthy or not.
There is also the question of interpretation of sources. I have found many occasions over the years where somebody will provide a link to a source upon my request. Upon reviewing the source in question, I sometimes find that said source was completely misinterpreted and that the source actually supported the arguments that I was making.
In summary, snarky dismals of my requests will lead to me ignoring the poster. I trust others in this forum to come to similar conclusions.
