Hello Bill Ferny,
We agree! We agree!
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It would be a shame to ban the occasionally witty and sardonic one-liners for which some Downers are famous.
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Where we disagree, however, is in thinking of these witty, sardonic one liners as similar to the chat plague. They are diametrically opposite.
Idle banter, or chat, usually reflects comments made on the spur of the moment, part of momentary interest and short-lived reference. Statements such as "Wow, yeh", or "Hey, my head is spinning just reading this," or "I agree" (without providing any reasons) tend to be of interest mainly to those who are immediately part of the thread. Because such comments are so personally-directed, they tend to provide little interest for other readers. They don't reach out to a larger audience. Instead, they reflect the kind of comment which can best be expressed through person communication via PM or in chat itself.
The unique feature of the Downs is, I think, the ability of so many of the threads to provide interest, information, entertainment and amusement for people who were not part of the original discussion. They reward rereading. They reach out to many people. Simple chat does not.
I suppose one could say that the best of the Downs is written mindful of Downers past, directed to Downers present, and ever thoughtful of Downers future.
No apologies to Dickens.
Bęthberry