I do think that is good advise, and true regardless of trollish or good/bad faith. I read your comment and immediately thought of the shooting messengers rather than messages. In other words, don’t let the messenger distract you from the actual message.
Reading the comments, though, it almost seems like many still focus on the “messenger” rather than the message carried—and here I’m not specifically pointing at Elizabeth’s post but the whole annoying/sneering/troll/just plain difficult person aspect, in other words the characteristics of the delivery rather than the value of the message/information/things the other person might contribute.
I do think that is good advise, and true regardless of trollish or good/bad faith. I read your comment and immediately thought of the shooting messengers rather than messages. In other words, don’t let the messenger distract you from the actual message.
Reading the comments, though, it almost seems like many still focus on the “messenger” rather than the message carried—and here I’m not specifically pointing at Elizabeth’s post but the whole annoying/sneering/troll/just plain difficult person aspect, in other words the characteristics of the delivery rather than the value of the message/information/things the other person might contribute.