From: Michael M. Butler (mmb@spies.com)
Date: Sun Jun 01 2003 - 17:20:46 MDT
------- Forwarded message -------
From: "Michael M. Butler" <mmb@spies.com>
To: extropians@extropy.org
Subject: Re: Protective coloration, was Re: Boy Genius or Craft Idiot?
Date: Sat, 31 May 2003 15:52:00 -0700
> My mailer is acting very strangely; I apologize if this gets posted
> multiple times.
>
> It's clear that this gets up your nose, Olga, and I think I understand
> why. Certainly it is possible to read arrogance into the utterance. It
> appears you are unable to read humility into it under any circumstances.
> OK. Thanks for making that clear. Bear with me for another minute or two.
>
> 1. > If the comment, "I believe I was given a special gift from God" is
> *not* arrogant, then what is?
> I'm going to respond as if this is not a rhetorical question. If the
> above isn't arrogant, here are some things that still might be:
> A. "It is indisputable fact that God gave me a special gift."
> B1. "[I believe] God has made you inferior to me, and that you must be my
> slave."
> B2. <above, with "It is indisputable fact" substituted for "I believe">
> C1. "[I believe] God has chosen me as a representative of His chosen
> people, and that all others must die by our hand."
> C2. <above, with "It is indisputable fact" substituted for "I believe">
> Any of these utterances seems more clearly arrogant to me.
>
> 2. > In short, the unfortunate (but right on) phrase "get over yourself"
> comes to mind ...
> OK, got it. As a gedanken, how does "[I believe] I was given a special
> gift from Satan" hit you? Or, for that matter, "[I believe] I traded my
> eternal soul to Satan for my unmeasurably-high IQ"?
> Arrogant? Ludicrous? Crazy? Or what?
>
> Not trying to yank your chain,
> MMB
> -- I am not here to have an argument. I am here as part of a
> civilization. Sometimes I forget.
>
-- I am not here to have an argument. I am here as part of a civilization. Sometimes I forget.
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