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Dan and I have been exchanging barbs and banter for several years, and I think I usually understand what he is saying. I like cyberDan (I've never actually met him). One thing I admire about Dan is that his posts are usually clever and terse. He relies tremendously on context. Unless he is slipping, he wouldn't say "real world" unless he intended to imply that I am living in a world of fantasy. Another thing I know about Dan is that he can defend himself (if he needs to). He is no wallflower.
Having said that, Lauren, I have to add that I am surprised at your comments. "Lobbying insults"? Really? What does that even mean? Blatantly defending someone who is very well able to defend himself? Blatantly and publicly upbraiding me for a comment that wasn't directed at you and then suggesting that _I_ am being indecorous? All that I have to say is that I sincerely admire what you are planning to do with your law degree. You will be an excellent advocate for the animals.
Finally, you said, "Leonard, I think you read something offensive into the discussion that simply was not there. Sometimes, a discussion is just a discussion." This, I admit, is entirely possible, but "Sometimes a banana is[n't] just a banana."
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+lporrello=illumina -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lporrello=illumina -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Lauren
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2012 4:07 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: "Allow" vs. "Require"
On 4/9/2012 3:07 PM, Porrello, Leonard wrote:
> Your comment blatantly missed the gist of what I was saying. Granted that, I genuinely wonder if you are qualified to determine what "real world" means.
I'm blatantly missing why you seem to be taken offense to what Dan posted and why you are lobbing insults. Dan seems to have used "real world" to describe the problem he was personally working on, which is not as complex as the discussion about why one word worked better than the other.
You said, "A good education will enable you to achieve your highest potential." Dan said, "I see nothing wrong with the sentence, "A good education will allow you to achieve your highest potential." Dan provided a fair opinion and a true statement and clarified his comment with, "I said that they're interchangeable in your first example, ..."
I do not see where anything Dan said could be seen as offensive or as deserving of hostile comments.
Additionally, I disagree with Dan that because the sentence works with each word that the words are interchangeable. Each use of the word produces a different fact. A good education will *both* "enable" and "allow" high achievement, but it is not the case that each variation of the sentence has the same meaning. To enable is to provide a step up or forward, but to allow is to open the door. So the use of "enable" in the education example does not provide a mutually exclusive use of the term that contrasts against "allow."
On 4/9/2012 3:10 PM, Porrello, Leonard wrote:
> Thanks, Richard. Posting here sometimes leaves me feeling like I've slipped in the parallel universe of DC Comics' Bizarro-Superman.
Leonard, I think you read something offensive into the discussion that simply was not there. Sometimes, a discussion is just a discussion.
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