Going Political

[bainin]

This is a place I come to have a shared experience around woodworking.
Like my shop, this is a place I come that gives me a brief respite from the 24/7 firehose of contentious noise and news and work.
This is a place I come to learn and grow in an area that I can control the outcomes.
Those places are becoming harder to find these days.
They are worth protecting.

I don't care what religion, political affiliation or national organizations you prescribe to...but if you want to discuss them, by all means discuss them in an intelligent manner supported by facts , experience and history. Do your "deeply" held beliefs the honor of you yourself having thought deeply about them first.

b

[db5]

How you say it determines what it means. How it is said cannot be determined in what is written unless -

Consider these, the same words in the same order but with a different meaning:
I didn't say he beat his wife.
i DIDN'T say he beat his wife.
i didn't SAY he beat his wife.
i didn't say HE beat his wife.
i didn't say he BEAT his wife.
i didn't say he beat HIS wife.
i didn't say he beat his WIFE.

[Majones1]

To use a well-known example, there's an important difference between the sentences "Let's eat Grandma," and "Let's eat, Grandma."

Good one. You reminded me of a fun little book on your subject:

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Eats, Shoots & Leaves -Edited.jpg (65.01 KiB) Viewed 1485 times

[RFGuy]

To use a well-known example, there's an important difference between the sentences "Let's eat Grandma," and "Let's eat, Grandma."

My FAVORITE saying of all time! Words matter, but punctuation SAVES LIVES!

[JPG]

You just well described the fallacy in consensual thinking.

[algale]

You just well described the fallacy in consensual thinking.

I've been away a couple of day. What exactly do you mean by "consensual thinking?" Thinking by consent?

I was referring to the consensus about the meaning of a word, standard grammar and punctuation. Without those, it is extremely difficult to understand others or to be understood by others.

[JPG]

Making decisions based on the herd understanding that may be of dubious accuracy.

Yes I was playing with the word consensus.

I realized the possible dual meaning after I posted it.

As an outlier I often scoff at some widely held misconceptions.(maybe I am the one with misconceptions?) I think the press is the reason much is misconstrued today. Going forward the internet will take over that task. Lord help us all! ;>}