Tim Rentsch <
tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com> writes:
Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> writes:
On 28/03/2025 18:03, Tim Rentsch wrote:
bart <bc@freeuk.com> writes:
On 27/03/2025 19:31, Keith Thompson wrote:
<OT stuff snipped>
And this is *way* off-topic.
That didn't stop you having your say first /then/ declaring it
as way off-topic!
I agree with the implied criticism here.
Fair comment. OTOH, a wise man once said that posting on-topic
articles is like paying pennies into your account, and posting
off-topic articles is like taking out dollars.
Over the years Keith has posted many thousands of on-topic articles.
That doesn't make OT stuff topical, but it does earn Keith a lot of
slack.
I have the opposite reaction. Certainly Keith is well known and
generally highly regarded in the newsgroup. But it is precisely
because of that status that he should hold himself to a higher
standard than others (and the same is true for other similarly
situated newsgroup participants). Casual posters see what leaders
do and think because a leader does it the behavior is okay. The
best people should try to set a good example, not be granted an
exception for bad behavior.
This may hold true in kindergarten. If Keith is highly regarded here,
then he is already a good example and an occasional off-topic is not
going to change my perspective of him. Posting an off-topic post is not
bad behavior. The very fact that he is highly regarded might even imply
that his off-topic could be of interest to others here---the psychology
of people here (if you will) likely has similarities to that of Keith.
Ignoring a thread is cheaper than not letting a good contributor discuss
his off-topic.
When casual posters make the mistake of thinking that they will get the
same treatment, the USENET will discipline them like it's been doing it
since its birth.
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