A heated
conflict, often within a small
group or
community, over an issue which may appear to
outsiders to be of little lasting
importance. Such conflicts, which may be sparked by
relatively trivial events, tend to
escalate rapidly to a level of
intensity seemingly unrelated to the significance of the original issue -- alhough at the peak of the conflict few people are likely to
agree on what the real issue is. Such storms usually blow themselves out fairly soon, but may leave
lasting scars upon the participants.