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NOW THERE'S A THOUGHT!

Except that people go ballistic when money gets involved.

Some do even when it's just pennies!

I'd REALLY like to see, though, and not by mandate . . . but by consensus custom . . .

That we ALL developed a 'terminal level' thick hide

at VIRTUALLY ANYTHING ANYONE said about our

WORDS

as long as they didn't assault our personhood, character.

A goodly number of our company could do with some emotional growing up.

And a BIG PART of growing up involves learning to distinguish between

what we PRODUCE

vs what we ARE.

I realize from plenty of personal experience how fierce the temptation is to respond as though comments about our words are Supreme Court rulings about our ESSENCE. But that's actually pretty childish.

Of course, part of such a working, more mature consensus would involve pretty disciplined efforts to insure that our wording DID refer strictly to words, arguments, logic and the like.

Oh, I suppose IF ALL THE POWERS THAT BE AND OLD TIMERS DECREED IT--we COULD have a few KOSHER, APPROVED phrases that were slaps upside the face just for effect--sort of

a

CERTIFIED COMMUNITY SLAP

--but which no one could complain about receiving . . .

That is, when someone was becoming insufferable, community members could key one of the CERTIFIED COMMUNITY SLAPS to them as a warning across their bow that the abuse button was likely to be next. Or, merely that the level of tension and bad attitude stuff had reached a hazardous and unproductive level.

such as . . .

--You need a moose shower!

or

--Your cheese stinks!

or

--Did your mother really dress you THAT funny today?

or

--Your drool is messing up all our keyboards.

or

--You're starting to smell like a liberal.

or

--Did you recently pick up a Goauld at DU?

or

--Your attitude is starting to smell like Shrillery's breath.

or

--Your logic is starting to mimmic John Kerry's brain.

or

--Your haughtiness is beginning to match Shrillery's nose in the air.

--Are you competing with the words and attitude of Belladonna ABzuggy?

--Is Gritch Shrillery starting to short your logic circuits?

--Please let your fingers do the walking to a cold shower or time out box.

--Are you really eager for a finger-ectomy?

--You may prefer that we gag you with cheese--but your attitude is begging for moose poop instead!

OTHER CANDIDATES for a CERTIFIED COMMUNITY SLAP?