Toujours la politesse?

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 177769

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "eggplant107" <eggplant107 at ...> 
wrote:

> Random832:
> > you DARE presume to tell me what
> > I did or did not visualize 

Eggplant:
> To quote Harry "Yes I dare!"

Geoff:
I have been contemplating for some time posting on 
the subject of the way in which members of the group 
in disagreement have been responding to each other 
and this exchange rather underpinned my thoughts.

Firstly, I was surprised that this thread decided to 
resurface because I thought we had beaten it to death 
a week or so ago.

I agreed with Eggplant over the mathematical definition 
of a helix but pointed out that, certainly in vernacular 
UK English, many people would not be familiar with the 
word helix - or its meaning - and hence would probably 
use the word spiral whether corerct or not; not the
first instance of a word being used wrongly.

But I think that any member of the group trying to tell 
another member what they can or cannot visualise or 
imagine is a highly dangerous procedure. Visualisation 
is often a very subjective matter. I dare say if I shared 
my visual perception of many events in the Potterverse 
with other members, we would all "see" the action and 
events differently. So we are on uncertain ground by 
trying to dictate how things are seen. As the old 
German protest song puts it "Die Gedanken sind frei".

My thoughts had originally been triggered by the threads 
which have polarised many group members particularly along 
the line of "DH is awful/DH is quite good" ever since 
the 21st July. I have carefully kept out of the fray having 
watched the similar "table tennis" threads regarding Snape 
and whether Dumbledore was dead which ran on ad infinitum 
post-HBP.

Like visualisation above, we all have unique takes on DH. 
Personally, after my first reading, I was left rather 
emotionally stranded on the shore not quite knowing which 
way my thoughts were going but, after two more reads, I 
have decided that I like the book.

But that is my interpretation. It doesn't have to be 
anyone else's. I think that the problem is that some members 
seem to believe that there should be a "standard" analysis 
and having stated their version, take umbrage with anyone 
who disagrees and often continue with subtlety of a Bludger 
bat taking the attitude of Basil Fawlty in the "Fawlty 
Towers" series that, if you say something in English often 
enough, loudly enough and slowly enough, the foreigner will 
understand. The trouble is that a few members have variously 
become patronising, dismissive, scathing and sometimes 
impolite in their attempts to train the others to see and 
accept their point of view.

Ultimately, this can lead to a breach of netiquette and of 
courtesy.

I hope I am right in that all of us who are members joined 
to share and exchange views with other lovers of the HP books 
and <gasp> to ENJOY belonging to the group. I can but hope 
that we can share our agreements and disagreements in that 
spirit.

I admit that there have been times when I have become annoyed 
and irritated with some members but I hope that I have always 
tried to disagree in a constructive and calm way - please 
don't send too many Howlers if you disagree!

I hope that in the post-canon era, we will continue to debate 
pet topics but if we do reach the "agree to disagree" scenario, 
we will do so remaining friends and fellow lovers of JKR's 
world and its ramifications.