Re: All hail Bob!

Jay Dee wrote:
> The first reply was spot-on advice. And line 3 contains a bit
> of prophecy that, once you watch this newsgroup for a while,
> really isn't all that prescient.
>
> From: BB
>
> 1 With all due respect, the answers to your questions
> 2 will depend on the myriad requirements you have not
> 3 mentioned. Anyone who pretends to have answers is a crank.
>
> The OP politely thanked BB for his response, ignored it,
> and pressed on with more magic dust: GUIDs!

My heart was lifted to see this post. Being an absolute newcomer to this NG perhaps you may be interested in the tail explaining why. Especially since being a newcomer (I only started reading the archives of this NG several days ago) I truly had no prior knowledge of nor any bias for or against any of the regulars in this group.

I do however, have a significant bias against willful ignorance and stupidity and an eye trained to recognize it quickly. And here is what happened.

Soon after beginning my treks through the c.d.* archives I began noticing (that is taking special note of) posts by Bob Badour (BB). The reason being that they often seemed to crystallize, explain, and answer the core issue at hand in a thread. I found that shortly after, sometimes immediately after, BB provided said knowledge, the sub-thread would devolve into bullshit. Universally (thus far) because some particular individuals simply _would not_ accept the sound logical reasoning presented by BB. And far from presenting logical counter-arguments of their own, they instead provided what even I (being nearly ignorant of the domain) could easily see were fallacious or irrelevant or confused "arguments". BB would then, with a somewhat characteristic disdain for suffering the willfully ignorant, engage in the ensuing flame.

Now, I personally believe the willfully ignorant morally deserved everything BB dished out to them. However and unfortunately this engagement on their level only provided the ignorami with the ammunition they needed to attack BB and stroke their feel-good-egoism. Often these ignorami attacked as a pack pathetically like so many lesser evolved animals in typical mob behavior.

All this worried me greatly. You see some years ago a thinking and clearly bright man by the name of Erik Naggum (EN) frequented the comp.lang.lisp forum. Now he was much like BB. Again coming onto the scene much later, I found quite by accident that EN's initial posts in a thread often clarified and answered the question at hand (or bluntly state that the question was too ignorant and flaming to warrant response). Only to be followed in similar fashion by bullshit from those unwilling to accept clear reasoning who often _hated_ EN. Now EN, for his own purposes, continually engaged these pack animals. Sadly, the ultimate outcome was that EN eventually so tired of these pack animals that he vowed to never again post in c.l.l. And more sadly he has kept his word. (An admirable demonstration of conviction that pack animals would never understand nor appreciate). Thus myself and countless others are deprived of any future contributions of these keen mind. As consolation we get unchallenged ignorant unthinking tripe from pack animals.

I was truly worried the same doom awaited BB. So I was heartened to see a recent posting of at least one other who appreciates the especially helpful and keen (though sometimes blunt :) Bob Badour.

On another note, does anyone have any thoughts as to why willful ignorance and mediocrity has become so fashionable? Or has it always been in fashion?

Keith Received on Wed May 10 2006 - 08:23:50 CEST