--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_re...@...> wrote: <snip> > In theory, "non-sequitur" means "That which does not > follow." In practice, especially on the Internet, it > seems to mean, "I was unable to follow you, therefore > you are bad and everything you say is false."
More likely, it means, "You were unable to follow what I was saying, and you came up with something entirely irrrelevant." > It's about connections, and one's ability to make them. > The proposer of the supposed non-sequitur has made a > connection between something the first person said and > something he or she sees as relevant. The first person, > unable to follow this connection, replies by screaming > "Non-sequitur!" Connections are a dime a dozen; they're easy to make. Making a connection that *follows* and adds something relevant to the discussion tends to require more mental work. Most of the time, in my observation, peole who label something a non sequitur have had no trouble whatsoever seeing the connection that was being made; they're just pointing out that it's irrelevant. (Barry rarely if ever uses the term "non sequitur," but he is constantly accusing other people of irrelevancy. See his discussion this morning with Yifuxero for a whole host of examples.)
