Message 1657 of 22774 in Behind the Bar

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Sorry if you take my reaction to this thread as a personal attack - I am 
trying to confront the ideas here, not the person.
I stepped in because I saw the flaming of the one victim as unfair, not 
because I don't like the board.
> Gross generalizations is just that.  Gross.
OK, I did not address this again, as I thought a referal back to last time 
would be sufficient. 
So to try again...
My position, stated (yes coursely with my example) is that 
although most words are labels
not all labels are generalizations
not all generalizations are gross
and even not all gross generalizations are offensive.
Hence, I will defend someones right to say 'that person over there is a 
teacher'
without getting pissy.
They are even allowed to say that 'most teachers that I've served tip badly'.
Or 'the hookers that come in here are really well-behaved'.
Two key points in the statement are 
that the observer knows they are talking about 'most' (Some but not all) 
and that they are relating personal experience, not holy writ.
This thread went nuts when by using the word 'teacher', it was taken to mean 
each and every single one of them without exception were [a bad thing].
You'll see that it's OK to get away with [good] generalizations, gross or not.
And I picked on your post because the dictionary fallacy was too easy.
(note - your post - not you as a human being, please do me the same favour)
[edited after re-reading the entire thread twice, taking careful note of the 
usernames this time]
Complete aside - re benefit of the doubt?
Once again, I was mostly just adding(?) to the discussion. I don't like going 
through and padding little notes one each branch, I read a live thread as a 
single entity, and usually make my comments that sum up what I have to say 
after reading to the end. Saves me from repeating what others have said. Must 
be something in the timezones that puts me in behind you each time.
If that's the doubt you were going to give me, don't regret it ;)
.dan.