Quote:
Originally Posted by DNSB
An error by more than 850%? That is a misstatement that is hard for me to accept...
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I think this goes to the heart of our differing viewpoints on this. You think it is an "error". I think it is an "error"
only if you are taking things literally, and to the extreme. If you take the statement as hyperbole - making a point by using exaggeration - as I believe it was intended - then it is no longer an "error".
You may think that hyperbole has no place in a forum such as MobileRead. I might scratch my head trying to figure that one out, but we can all believe what we want. Personally, I use hyperbole all the time. And self deprecation. And sarcasm. And innuendo. And double meanings. They are all valid and acceptable ways to make a point or to provide some comic relief to ease tension. You can interpret them as lies and the epitome of dishonesty if you want, but that is not the way they are intended, nor do I believe the way most people interpret them. This forum is not a debate theater IMHO. It is an informal internet gathering place where friends talk about books - reading them, collecting them, talking about which ones they liked or disliked, etc. Unfortunately, many of the discussions stray off into unfriendly territory. I am just as guilty of that as other members here. I think we should all strive to be better.
With that in mind, I will take the exit ramp from this sub-plot we have been pursuing. Not "packing up my toys and going home", rather, taking the exit ramp that I'll bet both of us have been looking for. We have gotten ourselves into a rather silly discussion. Believe it or not, my initial post in this sub-plot was only intended to be a minor defense of what I felt was over reaction to a point being made by another member. The primary intent of that post was to lighten the darkening tone of the thread by making a joke about hyperbole - pointing out a minor hyperbole by using a major hyperbole "... 27,000,000,000,000 members ..." But the joke fell flat. I don't think many people here have much of a sense of humor, at least not my kind of sense of humor.
I have to keep reminding myself, "Never plan an outing with MobileRead members at the Comedy Club - that would be a total disaster!"