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Old Wed Feb 21, 2001, 06:21pm
Warren Willson Warren Willson is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 561
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Quote:
Originally posted by Brad
Just for clarification - the word "flame" on the Internet means to attack someone else - not whether that person be become upset about what you said.

For instance, posting something to the effect of "You are completely wrong - that is not what the rule says at all." is perfectly permissible. Posting something like, "You are a complete idiot - how can you think that? I pity your co-umpires." or something along those lines is considered an attack or "flame".
Just for FURTHER clarification -

Saying "Joe, you are an idiot" is obviously a flame.

Saying "Joe, all your ideas are idiotic" is equally a flame.

Saying "Joe, that's an idiotic idea" is, IMHO, not a flame.

What is absent in the third example is any sort of personal pronoun. As soon as someone says "you" or "your", whatever follows MUST be personal. That is why I immediately eject participants from the diamond who start their objections with that personal pronoun; because anything that follows must be "personal". "That call sucked" is only an opinion, but "Your call sucked" is a personal criticism.

Cheers,