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In Reply to: Re: a question of style posted by a poster on April 09, 2005 at 21:07:19:
I have read these posts on many of the boards with interest. Maybe we should think about why folk are asking these questions, which will possibly help Jim to reconsider somewhat whether he wishes, in this instance, to make a public answer rather than a private, individual answer.
My guess is that when someone who has committed a lot of time and energy and 'self' to a cause, which they then discover was one they believe they should not have been a part of, this then makes then wary of committing to something again without exploring all the possible pit falls.
No disrespect Jim, but you do seem to be somewhat black and white in your approach to this questioning. Obviously people are hurting here, they are having to directly confront issues which many have felt they dealt with a long time ago and others have felt they have never dealt with!
People need reassurance at a time when they may be choosing whether to get involved or not. If the reassurance can be given by answering questions that your pride tells you you shouldn't have to answer; because 'of course your cause is noble' why don't you simply answer the questions? They don't appear to be a personal attack, just seeking clarification. [Although, possibly because of prevarication, some do seem to be reacting against you personally, which can't be comfortable for you].
If I understand correctly and forgive me if I am wrong, the basic questions are; are you doing this altruistically i.e. not for personal gain or do you wish to benefit financially and in personal standing from this investigation?
I can understand that you feel you should not have to justify yourself, but I don't believe any of the questioners are actually saying they believe that you do want to gain from this endeavour in these ways. They just seem to be checking out a 'cause' in a way that would enable them to feel they had made an informed decision. A defensive reaction to people who are rightly cautious in many aspects of their lives, as a result of their experiences, does engender suspicion in those who need to be cautious because of these past experiences.
If I may, I would also like to ask a question of those who have been questioning. If Jim is not doing this altruistically, does it matter? Social psychology tells us that nobody does anything without some kind of reward, even if it is only to feel good about oneself.
