merits of Lisp vs Python

[JShrager at gmail.com]

> Yes, but these are community symbols or tribe marks. They don't have
> much meaning per se, just like the language name or a corporate
> identity.

Unfortunately, I don't believe that this is entirely correct....I do
lurk c.l.p and see quite often people arguing (if briefly) about what
the one (and preferably only one) obvious way of doing things is. This
is only subtly ridiculous. The other ("It fits your brain") is much
less subtle, and much more problematic:

Now, I'm willing to buy that "it fits your brain" is taken less
seriously, but ...

> However they express an attitude ( being easy and free from
> language design redundancy ) that can be measured at least subjectively
> by the user. If Ruby "fits the brain" better, then people will simply
> drop Python in future or right now. There is nothing deep about it.

...if not deep, at least insidious, as demonstrated in part by the
current thread wherein, until forced to give it up, the present
pythonistas spent a significant number of chars trying to arguing, in
effect, that Lisp does NOT fit (one's) brain (e.g, is easier to use,
easier to learn, etc.) IN GENERAL. It seems to me (here and on c.l.p)
that many pythonista have somehow drunk this Koolaide and that as a
result have a sort of smug superiority about it. Of course, Lispers
have a smug superiority as well, but at least we have actual language
features (macros, compositionality, compilers) to wave around, not
ridiculous pop psychological noise.