David Brodbeck said:
I didn't use any language in my reply that you didn't use in your post.
I realize the tone probably came across as harsh but I meant to gently
turn your words back on you. In the rough-and-tumble world of USENET I
figured you'd take it the way it was intended.
A lot of people don't. From your responses I assumed you didn't.
That's all. I'm sorry if you took that as a slight.
I never called you a jerk.
Well, It's all over and sorted out now. I wasn't called a jerk directly, but
if you read carefully all of the stuff that was levelled at me, you will see
that I was effectively branded as one by implication - if I hadn't managed
to prove that I was one of "the good guys" after being invited to do so then
.....
Accepted your point that you were just " turning my words back ... " I have
been involved with Usenet for a long time, and am well familiar with the
"rough and tumble" as you call it. It is impossible to contribute regularly
to a news group, and not get into occasional spats and disagreements that
get out of hand. There are people out there who cause them deliberately.
Most of the time, I can look at them with amusement, and throw the insults
right back, as they are meaningless. However, that does not mean that I will
just roll over and take it, when I feel that a comment levelled at me was
perfectly intentional in its meaning. Sometimes, such things are as a result
of different cultures or the way a language is spoken and, again, I would
cite the situation of the UK and America - two nations separated by a common
language. For the most part, as I visit America frequently, and therefore
speak and understand 'American English', I take the correct meaning from
something that is said. Occasionally though, I get it wrong, and perhaps
take offence at something that wasn't intended to be that way. The same
applies, of course, the other way around. This isn't intended to have any
particular pro or anti American connotations, either as individuals or as a
nation, as another poster seemed to infer. This sort of thing is a fact of
Usenet newsgroups where there is likely to be participants from many
nations. It is something that I have commented on, on here, before.
Anyway, as I said, it's all sorted now, and hopefully, we can all get back
to being friends. God knows, we've all got enough enemies now, without
creating more for ourselves on here. Thanks for taking the trouble to come
back and explain your position, and I hope that you now understand where I
was coming from. Bad day. Got out of hand. Sorry all. :-(
Arfa