Reply #28: Well I think there is confusion throughout the thread about pronouns and rhetorical questions

[HamdenRice]

Unfortunately, American English does not have a third person indefinite pronoun as British English does, which leads to some confusion -- that is, we use "you" or "I" for "one."

To review, the OP asks, essentially, "am I my brother's keeper" and the OPer concludes, "I treat every individual fairly."

I assumed that the "I" in "am I my brother's keeper" means "one" -- is anyone his or her brother's keeper -- but that toward the end, when she says, "I treat" people fairly she is referring to herself personally.

My response was:

"If a small group agrees ontologically and behaves similarly ...

it is almost inevitable that they will be perceived as some sort of "clique," and in such circumstances I would say yes, one is responsible for one's cohorts' behavior."

Notice the highlighted pronouns. Now this is a rhetorical statement, because it does not refer to the "I" (Sue) in the last sentence of her OP, but the "I" (anyone) in the subject line. A familiarity with international (non-American) English would lead one to the conclusion that neither "they" nor "one" referred to Sue; otherwise the post would have simply said "you." Therefore the response obviously was phrased as a rhetorical answer to a rhetorical question.

So I was well aware this question was rhetorical and my comments obviously were rhetorical also are not directed at Sue.

But both rhetorically speaking and specifically with respect to this forum, I'll stick to the substance of my point: if people have similar ideas, make the same points, behave in a similar pattern and even coordinate their ideas in another forum, then they will be perceived to be members of a group that have responsibilities for each other's behaviors.

That is, indeed, the way the group in question is perceived outside the R/T Forum and by occasional visitors.