From: duggan@cc.gatech.edu (Rick Duggan)
Subject: Re: FLAME! Only a Manual!
Reply-To: duggan@cc.gatech.edu (Rick Duggan)
Organization: College of Computing
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 02:20:44 GMT

In article <1992Nov8.011811.14458@sol.UVic.CA> atovorni@engr.UVic.CA writes:
>
>
>[Lots of shit deleted]
>
>To Evan Leibovitch,
>
>Sir, It appears that just because I like to enjoy driving my
>fast & powerful car, you equate that with my being a boring
>MACHO ASSHOLE! You seem to think that because I have an 
>appreciation for fine machinery and a knowledge of how to 
>use it, I can't enjoy life and have to continually bolster 
>a fragile ego by showing off and passing everything on the street.
>
>I resent that.
>
>First of all, you don't know me or my personality. All that you
>really know for sure about me is that I have a crusty sense of humor
>and enjoy making fun of people's automotive attitudes. To top it off,
>you seem to get the impression that I am a dangerous driver.

It's hard to resent something that you intentionally portray.
You specifically portray yourself to appear to be a macho
jerk by insulting other people who don't agree with you.
Then when someone calls you a macho jerk, you get upset.

I for one agree with Evan.  While I myself drive a stick
shift car, I don't think that those who prefer automatics
are idiots (as you seem to).  Why can't you handle the fact
that some people prefer their automobiles to simply function
with as little fuss as possible?  Do you really know the
inner workings of every product you use every day?  What
about the internals of the phone?  How about the modulation
techniques used in satellite transmission?  The real
details of ATM machines?  The marketing/purchasing decisions
made by store owners?  [If for chance you do know all of
these, pick something you don't.]  No, you don't know
that.  Shame on you!  [Sarcasm mode on:]  Well,
I know all about the phone system and switching equipment.
Since you prefer simply to pick up the telephone and press
buttons (gawd, you even use touch-tone instead of manly macho
pulse dialing), you must be a moron! [Sarcasm mode off:]
Just because someone doesn't share your enthusiasm for an
activity doesn't mean they are wrong.

>
>I resent that.
>
>Were you to see me on the road, you wouldn't see the 'Torque Monger'
>persona that I use on the net. I do not drag race from red light to 
>red light, and I do not spin my wheels at every opportunity and run
>over cyclists and pedestrians.

Thankfully not.  But can you blame anyone for not knowing that,
given your other posts?

>
>I drive that PONTIAC in a civilized way in traffic, but I wind up that 
>tach when alone on twisty mountain and country roads, and have some
>wonderful thrills! For me, a car is not a car if it resembles a toaster
>in looks and function. I have owned automatics and econoboxes but there
>was something missing. Would you buy a television set if you didn't like
>the picture or the sound? Of course not! 

No, I wouldn't buy a TV if *I* didn't like the picture or sound.
But at the same time, I wouldn't tell someone who was buying
a black-and-white TV that they were complete morons who
couldn't possibly enjoy television unless it were color.

-rick

"Random acts of violence just don't do it for me anymore.  Call it 
 maturity.  Bang!  Bang!  Heh, heh." - Cactus Jack, WCW Saturday Night 07/04/92
Rick Duggan | duggan@cc.gatech.edu | CS4804A-C/CS1501 TA - Section C
Office Hours: Tuesday 1:30-3:00 Managment IBM Lab