Dragons, Produced and Tickled, and Other Pleasantries

[nrenka]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Barry Arrowsmith" 
<arrowsmithbt at b...> wrote:

> Wouldn't work, I think.
> Free-for-all discussion, expressing contrary views and the like only
> surfaces in subjects that are, well subjective. Where analyses, 
> opinions, conclusions are open to personally derived 
> interpretations. Potions doesn't fall into that category - it's 
> fact-based, like physics or chemistry. Any student who knew enough 
> to dispute with the lecturer shouldn't be in the class anyway.

The idea that there isn't discussion and argument and the like would 
be a strong shock to all of my friends in the sciences, who regularly 
have rousing arguments about topic both there and at the dinner table.

> I'd agree that Lockhart is a lightweight, but consider - Snape, 
> without too much effort simultaneously squelches Harry and Sirius 
> at GP.  No, I don't think bumptious students would get much change 
> out of an old hand like Sevvy. 

I was thinking about what might happen in situations where shouting 
and the appeal to emotions and authority wouldn't get anywhere--a 
little like a moderated debate with a moderator who's actually doing 
his job.  (I like Jim Lehrer as one, meself.)  Not quite the same 
thing as an insult-filled argument in the kitchen.  Le yawn.

-Nora wonders where the sun went so early in the afternoon...