Those of you who answered "yes" get an "A." The rest of you are required to take the test again. <smile>
The answer to the question is: yes. There are class distinctions here on the board as there in virtually every area of human society.
A phenomenon happens in barnyards wherever there are chickens. Twenty chickens that are unfamiliar to each other will, thru a series of fights and feints establish a "pecking order." If you have the time, the chickens, and the inclination, you can test this and find that it is true. It was true 10,000 years ago. It will be true tomorrow. But the really cool thing about it is that it is true, not only of chickens, but of many other forms of animal life. It is also true of people.
Now, class distinctions, in and of themselves, aren't a bad thing. In fact, they are quite natural. We see them practiced with no ill effects everyday. Kindergarteners hang with other kindergarteners. In high school, seniors would never accept a freshman into their group but associate with other seniors. People of the same race typically prefer the company of others within their own race even when they are given a choice. (This has been verified time and time again.) Millionaires don't normally hobnob with factory workers (or truck drivers <smile>) but with other millionaires. These are distinctions that people easily live with and WANT.
The problem occurs when these distinctions are given a moral value. Are seniors "better than" freshman? Of course not. Are millionaires "better than" truck drivers? Okay, let me rephrase my question….. <smile> You see my point.
Look at the initial post again. There are actually two questions. The first one is easily seen because it is offset and the words capitalized. You'd think it was the most important question. It's not -- the answer to it is simple, as we've seen. The important question following the first is the one that is of normal type and is set normally like the other paragraphs. It's the question that is the most important -- the "relevant" one. Interestingly, it's also the one no one answered.
So it is with life: the thing considered most important (like the offset, centered, capitalized question) really isn't after a second look.
peace,
todd~who can be sneaky when he wants to be <smile>