I don't remember the exact details of the conversation clearly enough, nor do I really care to at this point. The basic gist from what I do remember is that there was an amusing e-mail thread about them at work, mostly due to the number of them, located on every floor of a 6 floor parking garage. A parking garage that serviced the building that at the time had us as the only tenants. And the requirements for these fuel efficient spots were so low, a 2011 Mustang could park in one. The overall humor at work about the situation was more about how sad the attempt to "appear green" seemed, vs actually doing something properly green.


Sometimes a controversial statement may just be a lighthearted attempt at humor. And indeed, text (be it here or via IRC) is not always the best way to try and convey this. However, a quick response back that puts someone on the defensive quickly can sometimes result in them not making the most rational response. I did feel like I was put into a defensive mode, possibly before I could explain the humor of the situation as me and my coworkers saw it. Cris also appears to be going into a defensive mode rather quickly here, possibly due to the tone of others peoples comments.

I also personally wouldn't call someone a fraud as quickly as you appear to be willing to do so. Sometimes people do have things come up that cause them to prioritize those things above an internet discussion thread. The rush to prove someone right or wrong sometimes pushes people away from the desire to participate. It's mostly why I personally have been backing away from more and more political discussions these days. Nothing meaningful seems to come from them, because people get stuck on having to prove or defend some little basic points that it turns into a waste of time. Not everyone has the time to be an expert in every field they have an interest in, or a position they may hold. Being called a fraud before having a chance to change my stance would probably push me away from learning the truth if I was on the wrong side of a situation.

And on the flip side, I can understand the frustration that occurs when you present something, and most people gloss over the facts and draw the wrong conclusions. Using your own statement about being a fraud, I could assign that very label to the folks at O'Reilly that caused the location outrage earlier this year with iOS. They didn't do their research, made a big deal out of something based on incorrect information they had, and the internet echo chamber caused such an uproar that even congressional members managed to forget they already knew about this from a previous congressional inquiry in 2010.



With all of that said, I don't want to slide this thread further off topic from the issue at large about the community here. My main point is to try and ensure that some people here recognize that not everyone has the same amount of free time to dedicate to posting here. Their lack of time compared to others to respond shouldn't be seen as a weakness in their stances on a particular issue. I do hope Rob has time to respond and in the future has the desire to remain around a bit more then he has recently. But if he doesn't, I'm not going to hold it against him.