But I didn't ever say she shouldn't have bought the horse, did I? I said I was conflicted over it, or words to that effect. I posed it as a question for debate. I don't see how you get from a question like "Perhaps I should have reworded that to say 'Was it reasonable...?'" to a statement of "New party clothes for all is more important than Mrs. Marlow!", even if "... seems pretty frivolous" is en route.
Because, as you note yourself (http://www.livejournal.com/community/trennels/3795.html?thread=106963#t106963), questions are not intrinsically neutral. The format in which a question is presented - the assumptions that you make when you ask the question - tells the person reading the question something about what your thinking is. You noticed that yourself when I asked a question which made implicit assumptions orthogonal to your own. But your own implicit assumptions are, it seems, not up for debate - nor are you even prepared to acknowledge you are making them. I have now checked the threads, and it appears that - despite your horrified denial when I made your implicit assumptions explicit - I wasn't confusing one commenter with another.
no subject
Because, as you note yourself (http://www.livejournal.com/community/trennels/3795.html?thread=106963#t106963), questions are not intrinsically neutral. The format in which a question is presented - the assumptions that you make when you ask the question - tells the person reading the question something about what your thinking is. You noticed that yourself when I asked a question which made implicit assumptions orthogonal to your own. But your own implicit assumptions are, it seems, not up for debate - nor are you even prepared to acknowledge you are making them. I have now checked the threads, and it appears that - despite your horrified denial when I made your implicit assumptions explicit - I wasn't confusing one commenter with another.