Is it possible to enter a dialogue across discursive boundaries? Some comments suggest that agents engaged in defining the discourse, or some section of it, tend to guard the gates of their discourse against hostile intrusions (critique). They therefore do not engage in dialogue. The comments by John Robb provide an example of the power of discursive constraints, while Stephen Shennan is willing to open the gates enough for a good discussion. Ulrich Veit provides a critical overview that situates my critique within a wider postprocessual/postmodern framework.