[ExI] Best case, was Hard Takeoff

[Ben Zaiboc]

Samantha Atkins <sjatkins at mac.com> wondered:

> On Nov 19, 2010, at 11:18 AM, Keith Henson wrote:
> 
> > Re these threads, I have not seen any ideas here that
> have not been
> > considered for a *long* time on the sl4 list.
> > 
> > Sorry.
> 
> Quite correct and mostly in much greater depth as
> well.  I was beginning to wonder why all this needed to
> be rehashed yet again with apparently little gained from the
> copious previous hashing.


I can see one reason, the same reason that specialist subject magazines keep publishing the same articles (more-or-less) every few months:  New people.

I know we can all 'search the archives', but honestly, how many new subscribers do you think will do this?  And how would they know what to search for?

It's often been said that public debates never change the minds of the participants, but that's not really the point. It's the audience that are your real target, not your opponent.

That's the main reason that I, for one, am quite content to rehash the same 'tired old ideas' every few months (or years, or whatever).  I know (or expect) that these discussions will fall on at least a few fresh ears each time round.  

We can pretty much rely on a Gordon Swobe or an Alan Grimes to pop up every now and then, and give us a chance to expose a fresh batch of lurkers to the relevant arguments.  Maybe it's not the best method, maybe an FAQ or something would be better, but be honest, which is more likely to capture people's attention, a static list of items, or a good old argument?  

"BULLSHIT!" might not be a sophisticated or rational argument, but it gets people's attention and once that happens, there's at least a chance they'll start thinking through the issue themselves, and that's really what it's all about.

Ben Zaiboc