In message , at 13:44:53 on 
Sat, 20 Sep 2008, Marc  remarked:
>Roland Perry wrote:
>> In message , at 12:25:35 on 
>>Sat, 20 Sep 2008, Marc  remarked:
>>>>  But I do realise that I'm in the minority here.
>>>
>>> Of one?
>>  Trolls aside, maybe. But that's the nature of trying to bring some 
>>light  into a discussion where the other participants are pretty much 
>>self-selected according to a particular point of view.
>
> A circular argument
>
>All of the participants in any Usenet discussion are "self selected" 
>and have a "particular point of view", this includes your perspective 
>and your participation. If you remove ( from both sides) the idea that 
>they are self selected ( because they balance each other out) and that 
>they are arguing from a particular point of view, you are left with the 
>idea that you are in a minority of one, which is where we started, you 
>coulod just have accurately said "that's the nature of being a minority 
>of one"

That's a completely bankrupt argument. People will not tend to 
"self-select" themselves into an environment where all they get is 
hostility and abuse because they have a contrary point of view. So they 
can't possibly be "balanced out".

Try shouting "Up the Rangers" at the wrong end in a home derby with 
Celtic.

Or telling people in uk.transport that petrolheads are wrong (to get a 
bit closer to home).

>I haven't bothered reading too much of your other posts, was there any 
>more depth to your arguments in those?

Ditto.
-- 
Roland Perry