Q & A time

if any of you have attended conferences or seminars or talks or such events of the same species, then you will surely be familiar with the notion of Q & A time i.e. the moment when the chairperson allows members of the floor to ask questions. to me, it's a very interesting and sometimes amusing time.

questions from the audience come in many shapes and sizes, just as members of the audience come in many shapes and sizes.

the most prevalent would be the 'comment disguised as a question' - the one where the person asking the so-called question just keeps going on and on and ends in a huff without actually having any tangible question. such audience have almost unlimited amounts of steam, and once they've said their piece, they throw a challenging look at the panel. there! so there! you answer me now ... muahahahah (oklah, i've never really heard anyone laugh like that in this context, but i m quite sure they laugh that way in their heads)

then you get people who want to release some vitriol, kind of overlapping with the first type, only more bitter and biting. i saw one, he clearly had some idea of creating dissent and he had a most unpleasant sneer. the question he asked as he fished out a Catholic Bible and a Protestant Bible was which was the correct Bible since the Catholic one had more books than the Protestant one. he kept pushing the point in a more and more insistent and increasingly rude tone even when the speaker had replied very diplomatically. i am a champion! top that! you people cannot match my genius! not to mention the anti-US anti-UK tirade i heard at an anti-terrorism presentation during a conference.
this sort of question borders on the rude, nay, sometimes it IS rude. maybe we could empower the chairperson to box these people's ears? if such people can't be made to behave civilly by normal means, maybe extra-special measures are the answer!

non sequitur - some people think 'volume is victory' so they tend to raise their voices in such discussions etc. you could shout "THE SUN RISES IN THE WEST AND SETS IN THE EAST" through a foghorn and/or a microphone and it still won't change anything, it's still WRONG. making like a 3 year old on a temper tantrum rage is not going to lend credibility to your ideas, far from it.

we also have the 'i want to create a spectacle or make a splash' questioners. they like to ask questions for the sole purpose of making an impact, nevermind if it actually makes sense or not. you can tell by the way they have a large (and not necessarily malicious) smile after they have asked their question. this is the way you distinguish them from the earlier two who are infinitely more dangerous. when i see such questioners, i'm reminded of the people in school who would do all kinds of weird stunts to attract attention. guess some of us just never grow up ...

of course, i must credit those who do actually have a genuine question and really want to clarify something/ ask for an opinion in a spirit of inquiry and knowledge, but they are few and far between, kinda like a clear, non-hazy day in Malaysia.

i like Q & A time. what's not to? you see the best and the worst and the most bizarre of your fellow man. and you get to learn something at the same time. 3 for the price of 1!