My thoughts on the subject:
1. I think rudeness and snappy comebacks are becoming the norm in society. Ever watch a TV sitcom from 20, 30, 40 years ago and think "this is boring" or when someone says a line that, at the time was considered snappy, you think "... that's not funny"?
Shows like the Simpsons were one time seen as edgy and subversive but that brought along a host of copycats and as those speech patterns became the norm in our schoolyards and workplaces, along came a host of new shows that stepped it up a notch to be edgier and funnier. Repeat over and over.
Now we have a generation of people who think this is just the way everyone talks. And, they're right.
2. In this age of social media, people REALLY like their likes. I had a teenager I know come up to me and complain "you comment on my Instagram posts...
but you never like them." He was serious! To me it's just a "like" or a dot or fave but for this connected generation it is an important piece of validation, for better or for worse.
I heard that now that Twitter has switched from "favourite" to "like" the usage of the new button has already increased 6%. People like their hearts.
3. Writing a clever post that subtly puts someone down can be fun, but like others have mentioned, these posts will be here "forever". I regularly Google for questions and read CD threads from years back. Your future potential sponsor may be doing the same. Your future students may be too! (To anyone from 2706 that sees this - hi
) Always ask "is this how I want the world to forever remember me?"
If you know what to search for you can find things I posted to Usenet 20+ years ago. Posts that make me cringe.
4. Foster's post was very good, very informative, and contained the historical information needed to add perspective to the discussion. Our team is new so I'm learning about FIRST Choice and AndyMark's contribution to FRC as we go, so I appreciated his post (and that whole thread, really). I think it was that last line, that closing "zinger", that everyone got up in arms about. Take away that last line and everything would have been just fine.