> It leaves a bad taste - statements like this. I don't know why.
Probably because those statements are logical fallacies, this one specifically is known as argumentum ad verecundiam in Latin, or "an appeal to authority."
The fact that the arguer holds a prestigious title (or wears a fancy crown) cannot prove or disprove any given statement.
The inability of humans to think logically has bothered people for thousands of years, read up on Aristotle for more info.
Just to set the record straight, here's why I mentioned it:
I like her writing style. She writes in a pithy vernacular that belies her educational credentials.
She writes like a cranky old man (takes one to know one). I think we need more writing like that, as opposed to the usual buzzword bouillabaisse that makes up a significant chunk of the tech WordSphere.
When someone writes like that, it can be easy to dismiss (I know this). I didn't know about her, or her creds, and was pleasantly surprised, when I read them, so I figured I'd share my pleasure and surprise.
I encourage highly-skilled, -experienced, -educated, -whatever folks to write in an accessible fashion; preferably, with warmth, humor and approachability. The world needs as much of that as possible.
I could really care less whether or not she is a woman. It probably means a lot more to her, than it does to me. I enjoyed her work, and my enjoyment was improved, when I learned her background, and expressed my pleasure.
I mean, why the heck do we always have to find things wrong with everything? Can't we just say "This is cool. I'd like to hold it up as an example of what I like."?
I empathize with you in strongest way possible. I think we all should stop being offended so damn much.
I don’t know why I felt the way I did but you’re right - take it easy, we need to be a bit more flexible and allow for room of interpretation. Sorry I felt that way in my initial comment.
I think the offending word was “def”.
> This lady has a Masters from MIT. She probably knows her way around things
Sounds much better and less authoritative :) I know what you meant in the general sense.
Absolutely, it's time to just ignore the hecklers. They are subtracting from the value that the producers create! When the dead mass of hecklers and pc twitter twatters gets too high our civilisation will fall behind or fail because of it. Healing the pc overgrowth crisis is becoming important for our future prosperity and possibly survival.
Probably because those statements are logical fallacies, this one specifically is known as argumentum ad verecundiam in Latin, or "an appeal to authority."
The fact that the arguer holds a prestigious title (or wears a fancy crown) cannot prove or disprove any given statement.
The inability of humans to think logically has bothered people for thousands of years, read up on Aristotle for more info.