<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Dovster:
I can not argue with that position at all. It does, however, still leave some questions unanswered.
If the recipient does not reject it, but it meets all the other requirements, is it still a flame?
In the situation I cited re IJK, let us assume (and again, this is an assumption for argument's sake only) that IJK does not reject the Islamic Jihad label. Is it still a flame? After all, the poster is still trying to discredit him.
Let's assume that I call you a Communist but am not trying to stifle debate. In fact, I am trying to stimulate it by making you defend your position. I am lying about you, but is it still a flame?</font>
In both above instances it could be considered a flame and personal attack.. but it is for the person or persons being labelled with the perjorative label who should weigh in on such matters of it being a "flame" or "non-flame". After all, it's their reputation on the line and to have their reputation sullied with false labels is like telling someone they are guilty until proven innocent.
PS. Calling me a communist would be a joke. I love money and personalized financial returns way too much. I, like most of us on FT, like building up our frequent flier mileage bank accounts and getting "elite" status and "benefits". Nothing socialistic about that.
[This message has been edited by GUWonder (edited Jan 23, 2004).]