He's already come at me before.
I thought I remembered differing with you.
If he's anything like the others, it is something that will evolve.
Completely up to you. I mostly get along with people, even people I differ with fundamentally, so long as they restrict differences to the issue. I've had spirited differences with people on issues from politics to faith. Some of the people I like around here are right wingers. A few are leftists...and I've had good friends here who cover an equally wide range of religious belief.
The only litmus I have among friends is that they do that or have the grace to course correct when they don't...and I've had to apologize a few times for heat of the moment back and forth. But I try to do that, friend or not...a while back I said something insulting to...a Catholic woman who had a penchant for starting a large number of threads and being "bored" and dismissive when opposed by anyone in any of them. At any rate, what I said to her bothered me. I thought I'd crossed a personal line that shouldn't have been and that her relatively goofy and broad barbs didn't invite it. So I went back and publicly apologized for it, given that's where I'd made the remark. Neither of us liked the other, before or after, but she was gracious enough to accept it and while we continued to disagree, I thought better of her for it and it changed something in our discourse.
That doesn't even work with what I stated. You should be arrested for attempted depth :chuckle:
I don't have a problem with repartee, but you could have said, "You should be arrested for assaulting reason" and it would have been the same jab without the more personal insult attaching. I wouldn't have agreed with either, but it would have been the sort of response that, while barbed, is less likely to engender a lasting negatie and personal opinion with someone worth knowing and getting to know.
Bybee is one of the people I've differed with here and remained friends with over the years. More, grown a deeper and more considered respect for, even when and sometimes especially because of our differences and how she's handled that part. Now I figure that if someone is comfortable launching repartee or acerbic bombs then they're inviting a similar response and shouldn't have a problem with rough and tumble within a debate and in my professional life it wasn't unusual to do that sort of thing then go have a beer after the case was over and continue a friendship but I understand that's not for everyone and more often than not it ends badly with people who aren't.
I'm noticing something, though. About you all and TH.
I've rarely heard or read an attempt to broad brush like that that ends well or is ably considered. Now if you display the least bit of acrimony you'll be courted here by some with simmering grudges, but it's a poor trade for the appearance of an earned respect. Again, completely up to you.
A last thing about bybee that I've said elsewhere. We've disagreed on a number of topics over the years, sometimes strongly, but she's never let our differences come between us, impact our larger affection or friendship. God knows it would have been easier on her to do that, but she hasn't. No fair weather friend, she. And she remains one of the few people I've ever read reconsider and amend her position in the middle of an argument around here. I've seen that more than once. That's remarkable when you think about it.
Now back to the discussion. I just wanted to set out something I feel is important about what you were saying on the point. We may differ mightily on any number of topics from here on... I wanted to at least make certain I've been clear at the outset what my druthers are. Barbs? Sure, so long as the intimately personal aren't among them. Repartee is a thing I value, both in lighter moments and mixed into subjects of gravity and importance. It can sharpend the point while dulling the acrimony if done well.
Okay, that's my case. You'll do with it what you will and we'll take it from there.