word sought

[Laurence Horn]

At 3:20 PM -0400 3/10/09, Mark Mandel wrote:
>Question from a friend:
>
>>  Date: Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 11:54 AM
>>  Subject: A gaping hole in the language
>>
>>  Is there any word for "long painful discussion which
>>  takes a long time to even identify the crucial issues,
>>  but which may turn out to be productive"?

Something more specific than "modern life", I presume.

LH

>The asker has confirmed that the question is
>meant seriously. The specific context is
>
>>>>
>
>the big discussion/flamewar/unnameable
>about race.*
>
>Maybe a special word is needed for such things
>when they happen online, but I want a word
>which would also apply to the long argument
>between Scar and Star in _Glory Road_** in
>which they figure out that they need to separate.
>
><<<
>
>* a specific one that has been running for over a
>   year now
>** a novel by Robert A. Heinlein
>
>m a m
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org