[governance] A false consensus is broken

Paul Lehto lehto.paul at gmail.com
Fri Dec 21 20:25:55 EST 2012 

On Fri, Dec 21, 2012 at 7:27 PM, Koven Ronald <kovenronald at aol.com> wrote:

> What the devil is a "figurative walkout" ? There was misrepresentation or
> factual error. Period.


Ok, that's it, I'm outta here.  See ya!
[...]
OK, now I'm  back. :)  But possibly Avri walked out on us today - she noted
she was at her self-imposed 3 message limit.  Perhaps she will walk back
into this discussion tomorrow.

There's two figurative walkouts, above, plus a figurative walk back in.
Or, had I ceased communicating after an abrupt announcement of any kind
(even if not suggesting the image of leaving or walking out), that could be
called a walkout.

Do you want more examples? Links to idiomatic dictionaries or examples of
English usage? http://www.thefreedictionary.com/walk+out

If I hit a truck head on, pass out from fright, and a firefighter pulls me
away from the car uninjured,  I could say I walked away without a scratch
even though I had a minor concussion. "Walk" is not literal, it refers to a
distancing process.

 Paul

The problem with English speakers is the assumption, basically false, that
we all speak the same language.  A four letter word like "walk" - like most
other short words - has many different definitions. The basic idea of a
"walk" applied to something like communications is USUALLY the notion of a
distancing process from something.  Among two parties who continue to
actively negotiate, one might say of the other that they "walked away" from
the major points of negotiation (in favor of other points). Nothing
physical about it.


>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Lehto <lehto.paul at gmail.com>
> To: governance <governance at lists.igcaucus.org>; Avri Doria <avri at acm.org>
> Cc: michael gurstein <gurstein at gmail.com>
> Sent: Fri, Dec 21, 2012 9:02 pm
> Subject: Re: [governance] A false consensus is broken
>
>
> But what is truly at issue is not a "fact" like whether someone physically
> locomoted using their legs in order to leave a meeting.  "Walked out" has
> both literal and figurative meaning, and Parminder - as was obvious to me
> at least - intended the phrase in a figurative way.   This should be
> especially obvious because it was a country (having no legs) that walked
> out, not a specific person.
>
> Since it appears some have appointed themselves inquisitors and made a
> charge of inaccuracy against Parminder, I assert my neutrality (not even
> sure why people are so hot on this), and *appoint myself judge and
> dismiss this claim, *on the grounds that "walked out" has clearly
> figurative meaning and the actual facts, even as alleged by the
> inquisitors, fit without the broad meaning of "walked out". :)
>
> The key word in Michael's question was "pre-occupation."  Why the *
> pre-occupation* with this? It appears that question is unlikely to be
> answered. And I won't rule on it either, since I don't have enough facts
> before me to do so.  :)
>
> Paul Lehto, J.D.
>
> PS  If anyone has a problem with me being the self-appointed judge here,
> then they should have a very similar problem with those who have accused
> and also called this an open and shut case of "you can't have your own
> facts" - which is just judgment in a different form, and a self-appointed
> judgment at that.  In order to reach my "judgment" I've looked at the facts
> in the light most favorable to the accused, given the rights of free
> expression at stake.
>
> All we really have here is what could be a valuable discussion about the
> extent to which there was or wasn't a *figurative* walk out, and that
> could be enlightening given the personal observations of some on the list
> but which devolved into something more *ad hominem* in the nature of a
> game of gotcha.
>
>
> On Fri, Dec 21, 2012 at 2:08 PM, Avri Doria <avri at acm.org> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 21 Dec 2012, at 10:13, michael gurstein wrote:
>>
>> > Or Parminder used/quoted colourful journalistic language in a
>> journalistic medium...
>> >
>> > Anyway, why this pre-occupation with one perhaps infelicitous turn of
>> (journalistic/diplomatic?) phrase ... Is this the US Congress/Fox News
>> where a fairly comprehensible mispeak can lead to a total "gothcha"
>> pre-occupation (the Benghazi "discussions") for purely political purposes
>> to the exclusion of substantive debate...
>>
>>
>>  It is simple:
>>
>> Because you are not permitted to have your own facts.
>>
>> avri
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
> --
> Paul R Lehto, J.D.
> P.O. Box 1
> Ishpeming, MI  49849
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-- 
Paul R Lehto, J.D.
P.O. Box 1
Ishpeming, MI  49849
lehto.paul at gmail.com
906-204-4965 (cell)
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