Klarinet Archive - Posting 000094.txt from 2006/02

From: "Rien Stein" <rstein@-----.nl>
Subj: [kl] Re: new Mozart finds
Date: Mon, 06 Feb 2006 19:38:06 -0500

Lelia Loban wrote

<<
Rien Stein wrote,
>And I still am offended by Dan's calling me
>a moron, I think HE should apologise, he
>started calling names! He won't, I am convinced.

Anybody who wanted to apologize most likely would have done so by now, but
I really must protest the low level of discourse in this exchange. It
isn't even an interesting insult, since we all know that neither Rien Stein
nor Dan Leeson is a moron; and it may be true that someone who resorts to
name-calling either just wants to vent steam (inefficiently, since kicking
a wall would be faster) or hopes the opponent will overreact and utter
something even worse that will distract attention away from the fact that
the person who starts the name-calling is making a desperate and terribly
obvious attempt to conceal the lack of a *real* argument.

But, let's have none of these calls to renounce name-calling. Only seven
arts? Nonsense! Name-calling is the eighth! Gentlemen: "Moron"? I ask
you, what manner of shabby little insult is that? What sort of
Cackler's-Ken calks such cag-mag? Where are the cries of, "Pollrumptious
poltroon!" and, "Slubberdegullion!"? We profess to be musicians, after
all. Anyone who aspires to name-calling must make of it a higher art than
"moron."

Lelia Loban
>>

Lelia,

It is true I expressed my thoughts about the sincerity I had, and still
have, about Dna's announcement with respect to his findings. Dan reacted by
calling me a moron. I readthis mail last Monday, after having listened to a
beuatiful performance of the Gran Partit(t)a. I was so disappointed by Dan's
reaction, and so angry, I answered in a rather sharp way.

When my mail to klarinet came back, I decided it wasn't worth while to
continue any discussion in this vein, but I was quite astonished to see,
that this particular mail did arrive on klarinet! Especially, as you state
in your mail: <<we all know that neither Rien Stein nor Dan Leeson is a
moron>>, and I always had a high opinion of Dan. Someone privately responded
to my mail I am arrogant, because Dan is a greatly reknowned expert on
Mozart, but it was not the point whether I doubt Dan is such an expert: I am
not sufficiently knowledgeable to express any opnion about Dan's expertise,
although I think he IS. But thast is not the point, the point is I do not
trust Dan's claims he discovered some cases with belongings that belonged to
WAM once.

I still think Dan's argumentation is not sufficient. If it isn't, Dan was
able to play a bid April's fool joke with us, if Dan really found something
important (and, as I wrote before: I hope he did) I will be the first one to
apologise for my doubts.

But that was not what is the heart of your letter. As far as I understand --
because especially the end of it is, probably, to "American" to me -- in
your view calling names doesn't serve anyone. I wrote it also on klarinet, I
fully agree with you. That is why I felt more or less happy, when this
particular mail came back.

Yet, I do not feel the need to apologise for it: I did not start calling
names, and I still have enough arguments to not completely believe Dan.

Rien

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