I completely agree with you, because I didn't understand what Wilt wrote either... or understand why he seemed so put out by a simple a request for a clarification. Nor for that matter do I understand why you feel the need to ride into the thread with nothing positive to contribute and be a sarcastic jerk. Having a bad day?
Dan,
I was not being sarcastic with what I wrote in my post; I sincerely meant every word of it.
All too often, I see posts here on POTN (and everywhere else online) in which things are not written in a careful, thorough manner. I am not sure what the cause of this is. Perhaps people have (collectively) grown lazy, and simply do not feel like taking several extra seconds of their time to write in a more articulate manner. Perhaps they incorrectly assume that others have learned the same version of "internet slang" that they have grown accustomed to, and thereby believe that the people they are writing to will understand what they write. Or, perhaps they are attempting to type on a device that is ill-suited to long, articulate replies - I think we have all seen sloppy spelling and poor grammar being hammered out on cell phones and tiny "pads" when a full-size keyboard would be the tool better suited to such typing. Perhaps it is a combination of all three of these factors.
Good spelling, proper use of grammar, and well-worded responses are very important to me. Yet, I see the "rules" of good writing violated on a continual basis. When I notice an example of someone's "shortcut" style of writing leading to an inability of others to understand what they were trying to communicate, then I want to point that out. Folks need to see that rapid, less-than-careful typing really does cause others to be unable to understand them.
I exhort you to exercise better discretion when using words such as "jerk". It is not my attempt to insult anyone. Nor (as I typed earlier in this response) is it my attempt to use sarcasm. In fact, I think that one should largely refrain from using sarcasm when the means of communication is the typed word, as sarcasm (as well as humor) is often "lost" when being read, rather than being heard. So I think it should be clear that I was not being "a sarcastic jerk". Nor was I having a bad day. Semantics are of supreme importance to me; on both good days and bad days I will extol the virtues of crafting well-articulated replies when posting here on POTN.
