The “slimy factor” was a moment of painful self-consiousness, like CJB’s on this thread, realizing that we were behaving a lot like the people we’re criticizing.

Up above, Lee used language that to my ear is brutal and violent (and ironically thuggish), but then I went and slapped him around a bit myself, calling him a liar and implying that he’s a fool, and basically being as gratuitously insulting as he was being. In the clear cold light of day the next day I read my words and was embarrassed.

That’s what I meant by the “slimy factor”: I felt like I’d let myself be pulled down into the squishy green.

But my gawd what I have learned!

Next post up I got dragged into it, and felt pretty slimey within one post. Ironic that this little branch is about CJB having a similar moment of self-consciousness.

podrock’s right to ask us to not delete posts. And it gives me another new item to add to the long list of things I can do to improve the software–it should be able to put that reasonable request into practice.

But I also want to add that self-censorhip makes me a bit uncomfortable. It’s true you seemed on a somewhat bitter trajectory, so maybe it was right this time. But I hope you won’t retract your words often or easily. You shouldn’t have to walk on egg shells here.

Otherwise, why would I have replied to myself? Surely I didn’t imagine a post by CJB?