On Thu, 23 Aug 2001, John Foust wrote:
> "Glib smartass" is about right. :-) I can be. But this is the "real
> world" just as much as anywhere else.
Kind of. People are bolder and feel freer to express themselves when
behind the glass of a CRT. I would never stand there amidst a group of
people and tell R.D. what an ass he is at the top of my voice (unless,
say, we were all familiar with each other). That's not appropriate. Then
again, I don't think he would start off on an obnoxious rant either
(unless he's got Wayne-Greenitis). I know that I act much differently in
e-mail than in public, and I suspect he does too, which is why in real
life I would cordially greet him if we ever met.
> I do think that off-color language is rarely considered appropriate in
> professional situations. I doubt anyone here would disagree that we'd
> all like a list that could be described as "professional yet casual,
> or civil."
You've never been in the boardrooms that I have. And you've obviously
never met my attorney. He's worse than me, and that's a whole lotta
naughty curse words being bandied about.
> Are list moderators professionals? In a sense, I think yes. The best
> I've known become well-known in their industry or niche both for their
> career's talents as well as their handling of an online community.
> Like good managers in any professional situation, they take extra care
> to handle the unpleasant situations - probably off-line and with the
> minimal force necessary.
There really should be no need for moderation on this list, but it is
plainly obvious that some of the folks here just don't have manners when
it comes to staying on topic.
> I've had the vague impression you were once successful at selling
> phone systems or some such. I'd guess that you had to behave
> professionally in those situations, and that you had to resist the
> urge to scream "ASSSSSS!" now and then.
In those situations that required it, sure. But once you get chummy with
your clients and find out they aren't uptight, the "dirty" words start to
flow. In this environment, I feel like we are all fairly well acquainted
with each other. Some of us have "known" each other for literally years
now. It's not like we are just meeting each other in a public forum for
the first time and have to keep our facade of social graces up.
If you come to the list, you should feel like you're walking into a bar,
and in bars, people feel free to express themselves any way they want
without having to worry about being chastised, with the exception of those
jumping onto the bar and delivering a screaming rant about politics or
whatever. That person would get his ass booted to the curb. Stay civil,
and courteous to your bar mates, and keep within the proscribed topic, and
everyone will be happy.
All that being said, I don't have an aversion to using the English
language to its fullest, including certain words that some people may find
"dirty", "naughty", "foul", etc. That's a silly concept. Words are
words. They are pure. It's the emotions that people assign to them that
make them "dirty", etc. If you have a problem with a word, it's yours
alone, not mine.
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger
http://www.vintage.org
Received on Thu Aug 23 2001 - 14:08:48 BST