Posted by Mike Field on August 13, 2009 at 08:55:57 user mikefield.
In Reply to: Re: Ransome and Race posted by Peter_H on August 12, 2009 at 17:08:20:
Peter, in response to your "Please sir, it wasn't me" message, I'm happy to agree that indeed it was not. (Nor was it John L.)
However, as so often, you and I disagree about another issue -- this time, whether I should have named the writer of the obnoxious email. He knows who he is and he, together with at least one other person he emailed with the same message, knows what it consisted of. Two people with this knowledge is quite sufficient. Please do not expect me to name him here.
The message was written quite calculatingly to be just about as hurtful as the writer could hope to make it. It succeeded in its purpose. I had hoped that, having since then had some time in which to calm down, regain his emotional balance, and reflect on what he had written, the writer would by now have come to realise how venomous his message really was and apologised for it. But that hasn't happened, and after ten days it seems clear that it was never going to.
I'll say one more thing. This is a person with whom I've corresponded periodically, albeit infrequently, for a decade or more. Despite not always agreeing with his point of view, there were several reasons why I nevertheless used to quite admire him. Any admiration I once had for him has now however been entirely expunged by that single email and the fact that no apology was forthcoming for it, because I now know him to be a bigoted and belligerent fundamentalist. He is someone I have no wish to have anything further to do with. Please be assured that this knowledge does not give me any pleasure.
And that really is my last word on this topic.