Newbie: finding the key/index of the min/max element

[James J. Besemer]

Laura Creighton wrote:

> JB wrote:
> > The term derrives from the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, the Communist rebels who
> > fought against the US-installed conservative Somoza dictatorship (and others).
> >
> > The suffix is sometimes used to refere to any contrarian group, and in cases
> > simply any group.
>
> That is simple ignorant American narrow-minded foolishness talking.
> Normally, I would take extreme great care to not say anything so
> offensive, but I have a deep suspcion that James J Besemer is one
> of the 'can't take the heat' folks, and will learn to like a kinder
> and gentler place than the one he proposes to make for Raymond Hettinger
> if he finds out what it is like to live in the place he proposed.

I'm truly sorry that my sincere attempt to answer what I thought was a simple
question caused you to resort to open hostility.  I am truly impressed by your
vicisousness.

Once again by innocently describing a true relationship I have observed between two
items (words in this case) puts be at loggerheads with someone who knows a little
more than me on the subject.

> At any rate, idiot fool deluded with the idea that the American perspective
> is somehow comprehensive,

I did not presume to present an "American perspective" nor did I presume to be
comprehensive.  Nor did I suggest or imply that either was the case.

Without suggesting it's a good thing, I humbly submit that for many Americans they
do recognize the 'ista" mainly from the Sandinista context.  They don't do this
because of any political association or assumption of American pride but merely
because it's the first place or one of the few places most of them heard the term.

> 'ista' by those of us who speak Spanish means one hell of a lot
> broader than that.  And not the same broadness in every Spanish
> speaking nation.  My Spanish comes from where I lived in childhood,
> San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and thus is fairly close to that of
> Nicauragua (the country next door).  <except I lived in Cuenca Equador
> also, complicated stuff my childhood>.  What 'ista' means varies from
> sub-region to sub-region, and I get into confusion using it as I am
> used to when I speak with Spaniards, where the rules are different --
> but -- at any rate, in Honduras, it is used for everything from
> 'following the teaching of' to 'liking'.  You get 'istas' for every
> damn fad on the planet, every popular song, let alone songwriter, and
> just preferring the colour blue.

Thank you for adding something truly informative to the topic.

I submit that if you calm down and put your emotions aside there is not a lot of
what I said that is factually inconsistent with your reality.  The second half of
my explanation particularly seems to resonate with your definition.  In all
fairness, I think I was more incomplete than factually in error.  And based on your
description, this "ista" suffix seems to be a rather complex and subtle idiom that
you admit even confuses you sometimes.  I suspect most non-Spanish speaking people,
Americans or otherwise, would be ignorant of most of this nuance.

> All of this has been going on for vastly longer than Super-Power
> sponsored hell in small countries.

Nothing in my statement was intended to support or defend my country's behavior in
South America or anywhere else in the world.  From what I have learned over the
years, it's pretty much indefensible.  If you wanna talk politics, you may find we
have a lot more in common than you may imagine.

> The Super-Power sponsored hell was such a vileness, that nobody would
> be particularily interested in invoking that image.  Pythonista may
> resonate to ignorant Americans with only that sound, but the rest of
> us have a richer cultural experience in which to ground such an
> expression.  At least by God I hope so -- else we have finally
> reached the Nadir of Disneyism, where violent repression followed with
> anarchy, and the dying hopes and dreams of a generation are _glorified_
> because they are BRANDED.
>
> Yours most disgustedly,
> Laura Creighton

I did not intend to invoke any particular image, only to document a phonetic
relationship between words.  With you, I obviously struck a nerve.  Clearly in some
way you were deeply wounded by what all happend down there.  I certainly had no
intention of invoking a hell from your past.  I hope you will forgive me.

I also sense that you are pissed at me personally, which puzzles me just a little.
This is the second time you have said offensive things to me though I have never
directed any comments whatsoever at you.  Perhaps you have a chip on your shoulder
about all Americans or men or whatever.  Maybe I remind you of somebody you hated.
I don't know.  I like to think I have shown that I can roll with the punches and I
feel I've made a few new friends on this list (some not even Americans).  I
resolved this morning to try and be more civil, in large part due to your note
yesterday.  Not out of an inability to "take the heat" it but because you made a
good point which was hard to disagree with.  However, your continuing to attack me
like this is not a way to encourage me to try and be civil.  Your emotionalism left
you open for a large number of smart-ass remarks, which I respectfully and with
difficulty suppresed.

Finally, I am truly puzzled by your Raymond Hettinger reference.  Although I
strongly disagree with him, I thought my very sincere reply was respectful and
deferential rather than hostile, and I thought it was very much in line with much
of the nit-picking that goes on here.  I certainly don't wish him any ill will, and
I will cheerfully support any good proposals he puts forth.  But his justification
for his proposal strikes me as pretty empty, as I indicated.  How does one properly
register dissent in your world?  Am I just supposed to blithly agree with
everything that is said?  Seems that would certainly put me in a distinct
minority.  If I'm missing something I trust you will point it out.


Oop.  Gotta go fix dinner for the family.

Sincerely,

--jb

--
James J. Besemer  503-280-0838 voice
http://cascade-sys.com  503-280-0375 fax
mailto:jb at cascade-sys.com