[penguicon-general] Big first names on nametags

[Wolfger]

On 6/25/07, Jer <jer.lance at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 6/25/07, Wolfger <wolfger at gmail.com> wrote:
> > On 6/25/07, Seth <sethb at panix.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Is telling people that a bad neighborhood is dangerous a veiled
> > > threat?
> >
> > It can be. Especially when you're phrasing it like "you should do what
> > I want you to, because if you don't, bad things could happen to you".
> > Sounds very much like a mafia "protection" offer.
>
> Melodramatic much?  Yes, he was clearly threatening to haxor your gibson if
> you didn't do what he said.

Who's being melodramatic? I was simply answering the man's question.
Yes, stating a fact *can* be a veiled threat, and how you phrase the
statement of fact is rather crucial in whether or not somebody
perceives it as a threat. Just as how one phrases the answer to a
question can affect whether or not somebody perceives the answer to be
melodramatic.
Let's see if you can detect the difference in these two statements:

"If you want to make it a challenge to identify you, remember that
you're at a convention full of the kind of people who, if they take up
that challenge, will find not only your name, but your entire history,
credit rating, and every embarassing thing you've ever done."

"If you want to make it a challenge to find you, remember that you're
in a business full of the kind of people who, if they take up that
challenge, will find not only you, but your entire family, pet dog,
and which graveyard you'd like to be buried in."

Hint: I did simple word/phrase substitutions that really didn't alter
the context whatsoever.

-- 
Wolfger
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