Hehehe...

This reminds me of nothing so much as the joke we used to pull on the "op-beggars" when I was a chanop in Internet Relay Chat. Now, for those of you who have never done IRC, an "op-beggar" is anyone who comes into a chat channel and begs and whines and pleeeeeeeeds for the chanops to "op" them as well, that is, set them as channel moderators. It's a power thing, guys. http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...s/rolleyes.gif Anyway, we devised a strategy. In the topic of the forum, where everyone could see it clearly, we put a message: "If you want to be automatically OP'ed, hit ALT+F4." You wouldn't believe how many of the little idiots fell for it! http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/noncgi/smiles/485.gif It of course was only as successful as for those who didn't know what ALT+F4 really did. (If you don't know, try it! http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/noncgi/smiles/338.gif It won't hurt your computer, but you'll probably be pretty p'o'd!)

It's also the same game that P.T. Barnum pulled on his guests when too many were crowding in to see the animals and not leaving the circus tent so that others could enter. He put a huge sign with ornate letters saying, "This way to the Egress" and a big gold arrow pointing to the door. Visitors who eagerly followed the sign to see the "Egress" found themselves outside the building. (Yes, Egress is a fancy term for "Exit"!) ROFL!!

http://www.wizardrealm.com/images/saz.gif

Even today, a great many people who use computers do not have the time, or the inclination, to become "proficient" with them, outside of the scope of the work (program) that they use on them. To label someone an idiot because they are unfamiliar with the intricacies of this rather intimidating piece of equipment, or the software running on it, is judgemental and harsh.

When you compund the problem with the general fear of virii that invariably accompanies the lack of proficiency, you end up with a situation where, even though someone would normally question advice, they do not know who to turn to to find out the truth of the matter, and the solution seems so simple that they feel they are choosing the lesser of 2 evils.

I know I have done some things, as a new computer user, that seem "idiotic" to me now that I have more knowledge, but I am not now, and never have been correctly identified by the term "idiot." I don't think anyone has.

Another thing, blanket sterotypes of any group of people does no more than show your bias, not their shortcomings. Groups are made up of individuals, each unique. Think about it.

"I'm staying out of this one..." <marquee behavior=alternate>http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/noncgi/smiles/elf.gif</marquee>


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[This message has been edited by DawnChaser (edited 06-13-2001).]