[ExI] People are Genuine Altruists, Sociopaths, or Confused/Moody

[Lee Corbin]

Harvey wrote

> [Lee] wrote,
> 
>> Harvey writes
>>> - You keep arguing that my answers are really lies because I am afraid to 
>>> admit the truth.
>>
>> Find me anywhere where I have argued that. Please. I cannot believe
>> I would ever have done that. I have stated on any occasion that you
>> were telling lies? GO AHEAD. Try to find an instance.
> [...]
>> I have never, to my knowledge, announced that you were
>> afraid of anything. Please give me a concrete example where
> [...]
>> Oh, please where, WHERE have I said anything at all about
>> anyone on this list being cowardly, least of all you! This *sounds*
> [...]
> 
> Give it a rest.  You are constantly implying this.

No, you are inferring this. Also, I observe that you have *not*
found an instance of me arguing that your answers are *lies*.

> I know you are going to object and nitpick every single example,
> so I don't really want to rehash every instance.

Okay, I'll restrain myself to a few.

> But below are a few quick cut-and-pastes from the last few 
> e-mails still in my inbox from you:
> 
>> So suspicious! Always worried about what a "yes" may lead to, eh?

Your *behavior* indeed did appear suspicious to me. And please note
that here I ended it with a question.

And most of the rest follow that pattern.  I'll say things like "it's as though",
or "you seem...". (There is nothing wrong with such conjectures, so far
as I can see; I allow plenty of room for explanation or outright denial.)

Or where I speak of many people, and conjecture like this:

>> In the cases at hand, it's more likely that one is worried (and perhaps
>> rightly so) that the admission of certain statements, true as though they
>> may be, will have damaging social consequences.

You have caught me on one or two, though:

>> Well, I don't think so.  And so why don't you just wait for the
>> "big moment", and be unafraid of answering my little admissions?

Here, yes, indeed I was suggesting that you be unafraid, yes, implying
that perhaps you were at the moment afraid.

>> I wanted honestly see what the boundaries of the claims of you, BillK,
>> and Damien were.  I honestly expected[....]  But oh, no. Lee might have
>> something up his sleeve. This might be, might be, might be.... a trap!
>> Who knows what his next question might be???  Christ, I might have
>> to re-examine something I believe!
> 
> See a pattern?  You keep implying that people aren't honestly answering your 
> questions out of fear.  It really makes it hard to have a conversation with you.

In these particular cases I sympathize; if one read this in a hostile
frame of mind, it could be insulting, I suppose. For me, sentences
like that are "if the shoe fits, then wear it". But I will try to do so less
often, but this here *is* a general phenomenon I've encountered all
my life that people (including me) will often avoid talking about certain
unpleasant subjects the very raising of which they fear will be
harmful to society.

But I expect it will be a cold day in hell before you'll apologize for
all the times you say "You think" or "you are constantly surmising
my reasons" and so on, when it so happens that such statements
by you are not factual at all.

Lee