Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > comp.lang.c > #20851

Re: A question for this group...

Show all headers | View raw

On Tuesday, May 15, 2012 9:56:11 PM UTC+1, Quentin Pope wrote:
> On Tue, 15 May 2012 13:24:35 -0700, William Ahern wrote:
> 
> > Kenny McCormack <gazelle@shell.xmission.com> wrote:
> >> If somebody asks:
> >>
> >>         Why does it hurt when I stick my finger in a light socket?
> >>
> >> Is it universally true that the only possible answer is:
> >>
> >>         Don't stick your fingers in light sockets.
> >>
> >> Is it really true that an explanation of how electricity works and how
> >> your body is a conductor (and, in particular, how the real issue is how
> >> well grounded your body is) is never appropriate?
> >>
> >> This seems to be the attitude of this group - see in particular the
> >> recent "Program Output" thread.
> > 
> > Your light socket analogy is a perfect example. Anyone who has grown up
> > in an electrified civilization knows from an extremely early age that
> > electricity can be dangerous, and that a light socket is associated with
> > electricity . With this background knowledge, they would never ask "why
> > does it hurt when I do X" unless they were being lazy or naive. If he
> > weren't lazy or naive, he would have made the association with
> > electricity and reformed the question appropriately.
> > 
> > A common response to both laziness and naivety is sarcasm. It signals to
> > the person that they need to rethink their question in a very
> > fundamental way; that perhaps they're in deeper water than they think.
> > 
> > I went through the thread you mentioned (sans Google Groups posts). I
> > think the responses were just fine. They rightfully didn't talk down to
> > the OP. The responses were accurate, and they signaled to the OP that
> > his analytical investment in the issue was poor. If he can't interpret
> > that signal, then he's not prepared to learn anything.
> 
> I agree with this. Many posters to this group are lazy, ignorant, stupid 
> or all three. 

some are. Some aren't. I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt. I thought the question quite reasonable. I've *written* code like that and been surprised at the result.

> There's only so much time and effort it's worth putting 
> into helping someone swim, when natural selection seems to have chosen 
> that person to sink.

Back to comp.lang.c | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

A question for this group... gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) - 2012-05-15 17:41 +0000
  Re: A question for this group... "Chine Bleu, Russie Blanche, et Khmer Rouge" <chine.bleu@yahoo.com> - 2012-05-15 10:44 -0700
    Re: A question for this group... James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-05-15 14:06 -0400
  Re: A question for this group... William Ahern <william@wilbur.25thandClement.com> - 2012-05-15 13:24 -0700
    Re: A question for this group... Quentin Pope <qp19433@hotmail.NOSPAM.com> - 2012-05-15 20:56 +0000
      Re: A question for this group... nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com - 2012-05-16 03:41 -0700
  Re: A question for this group... Old Wolf <oldwolf@inspire.net.nz> - 2012-05-16 02:31 -0700
  Re: A question for this group... nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com - 2012-05-16 03:53 -0700
    Re: A question for this group... gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) - 2012-05-16 14:08 +0000
      Re: A question for this group... Martin Shobe <martin.shobe@yahoo.com> - 2012-05-16 14:49 +0000
        Re: A question for this group... Martin Shobe <martin.shobe@yahoo.com> - 2012-05-16 14:59 +0000
      Re: A question for this group... Kaz Kylheku <kaz@kylheku.com> - 2012-05-16 16:05 +0000
      Re: A question for this group... Old Wolf <oldwolf@inspire.net.nz> - 2012-05-16 14:29 -0700
    Re: A question for this group... Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2012-05-16 18:18 -0500
  Re: A question for this group... Robert Miles <milesrf@Usenet-News.net> - 2012-06-23 23:22 -0500
  Re: A question for this group... Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2012-06-25 02:41 -0700
    Re: A question for this group... gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) - 2012-06-25 16:29 +0000
      Re: A question for this group... nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com - 2012-06-26 08:27 -0700
        Re: A question for this group... gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) - 2012-06-27 09:05 +0000
          Re: A question for this group... nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com - 2012-06-27 03:57 -0700
        Re: A question for this group... Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> - 2012-06-27 13:49 +0000
          Re: A question for this group... "io_x" <a@b.c.invalid> - 2012-06-28 09:19 +0200
            Re: A question for this group... nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com - 2012-06-28 01:59 -0700
              Re: A question for this group... Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2012-06-28 04:18 -0700
                Re: A question for this group... Heikki Kallasjoki <fis+usenet@zem.fi> - 2012-06-28 12:14 +0000
                Re: A question for this group... James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-06-28 08:28 -0400
                Re: A question for this group... James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2012-06-28 08:33 -0400
                Re: A question for this group... Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2012-06-28 13:07 -0700
                Re: A question for this group... David Thompson <dave.thompson2@verizon.net> - 2012-07-19 02:40 -0400
              Re: A question for this group... "io_x" <a@b.c.invalid> - 2012-06-28 18:58 +0200
                Re: A question for this group... Andrew Cooper <amc96@cam.ac.uk> - 2012-06-29 01:11 +0100
                Re: A question for this group... Philip Lantz <prl@canterey.us> - 2012-07-05 00:21 -0700
                Re: A question for this group... nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com - 2012-07-06 00:24 -0700
                Re: A question for this group... Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2012-07-06 17:43 -0700

csiph-web