Abe Sokolov wrote:
Re: "Here is a typical example of 172's ad hominem that really ought to be out of bounds, and yet quite a few people seem to be OK with it. Why is anybody willing to put up with these kinds of low attacks?"
Why didn't you quote me in full, huh?
Because there's no possible excuse for personal attacks. It doesn't matter how strongly you feel about the issue, your personal history, nothing. Critiquing behavior and statements, sure, go wild - if Fred or I say something stupid, it's perfectly fine to respond "that was a stupid thing to say". But to go from that to "Fred is senile", that is not OK. Calling it "harshness" or "ineloquence" is not an excuse; I know you're smart enough to know full well the difference between an attack on what someone says, and an attack on them personally.
If that's not convincing, then consider the likely outcome if *everybody* on WP is allowed to cut loose with the personal attacks all the time. Rest assured, I have some pretty nasty thoughts about people here, plus the vocabulary and creativity to make attacks that will amuse the audience while ulcerating the victim. (Fish with Google Groups to get a partial sample of my youthful and less-honed flaming - alas, some of my best material seems not have been archived.)
Stan