Salut/Hi John Gunn,

le/on Sun, 05 Oct 2003 20:41:04 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

>In fairness, Dimitri, I find that a number of your posts have a certain
>"certainty" about them that I think tends to make you an easy target. I
>know that it has bothered me in some earlier threads.

I'd not describe the phrases

"Being in Italy perhaps you do not realize that."

"peanut gallery"

"How nice of you to speak for the entire audience of this newsgroup and
decide whether they needed clarification or not."

as have a "certain certainty", but more like deliberate abrasiveness. If he
can't stand the heat, he shouldn't go into the kitchen. He started the bad
tempered rudeness, now he's crying foul when he gets it back.

> I think if you go back and look at the notes posted in the entire thread (which I just did) you'll find that it really is
>one individual that behaved badly.

I suppose the finger is pointing at me.

> This individual is one who tends to consistently engage in anti-american bantor.

Meaning phrases like

"And even for an American, comparing Venice FL with the city of the Doges
and scene of Monteverdi's greatest hour is going a touch far."

I suppose. Yes, I tease Americans for being parochial as much as I tease
the French and British for it. If you re-read my contributions over the
years, you will find I'm far MORE critical of winemaking in France, for
example, than I am of America. Long before you came on the scene here, I
vigorously attacked a good friend of mine - Christian Callec - for making
anti-american remarks, for example. But really, John, I do feel that to
regard my comments as

> Just because one person behaves badly

behaving badly. For months - until I killfiled him - I read anti-French
comments from Dick Neidich. Is that reaction to be construed as being
anti-American too? I am not anti any nation, but I AM passionately opposed
to parochialism and chauvinism, wherever it is demonstrated. I don't like
it here in France where I am perpetually patronised by the French for being
British (with the implication that no one from the UK can cook or knows
about wine), and I don't like it "here" in afw, when ANYONE (Australians,
New Zealanders, Americans, Austrians, French or Spanish) seeks to denigrate
other nations or their wines or their people. I would say that such
behaviour is far WORSE than my reaction to it. If Ed had replied jovially
to Michael Tomassi's original comment, instead of abrasively justifying
himself, I'd not have entered the thread.

This is my last post on this topic.
--
All the Best
Ian Hoare

Sometimes oi just sits and thinks
Sometimes oi just sits.