Comments & Criticisms

[Alan R. Barnard]

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>From time to time we see people criticize participants in this chat for =
their quips, quotes, howdies, and jokes.

My two cents:

This being a democracy, the chat will be what the majority of =
participants mold it to be, over time.

There are some who wish it all to be serious and technical. That's okay. =
That's fair.

Others enjoy the banter and the camaraderie of comrades in arms (arms =
and hammers, actually). That's okay, too. (Yes it is! Now don't argue. =
Read on ...)

I am, unashamedly, of the latter disposition. I really enjoy the contact =
with people who fight the same battles I fight. Sometimes, ours is a =
pretty lonely trade.

Others are more serious-minded and/or introverted. At PTG meetings, a =
common topic is "How do I get the customer to stop talking to me and, in =
fact, leave the room." To this, I say: "Why would you want to?" People =
have temperaments, too.

I think neither side is "wrong" unless felt and expressed in a =
judgmental way; which is sometimes the tone of said critical posts.

If the current flavor of the chat--it will change over time--is not to =
the liking of any participant, he or she may reasonably choose to leave. =
They can still benefit from the helpful information and advice of the =
chat by searching the archives.

But please don't threaten to leave, as if you were scolding children. =
Just bow out quietly.

Better still (we WOULD miss you), participate in the serious stuff. Ask =
and answer good questions. In time, the character of the crowd may sway =
more to your liking. This thought occurs because I have noticed that =
people with such "complaints" are usually not the ones who are actively =
chatting--even about technical or business issues.

So, for now, I plan to stick around and I refuse to feel any guilt or =
shame for my big electronic mouth. I yam what I yam. The only thing that =
bugs me about the site are the occasional whiffs of hatefulness and =
intolerance of alternate viewpoints. But that's part of life, too.

Since I am one heaping coals on foreheads of the serious-minded and, =
since I have always had an overactive guilty conscience, I felt a twinge =
of "O, dear" when I read the most recent critical comments.

When I am corrected or chastened, I hope I have demonstrated that =
humility is the way to learn. I've seen others employ it here, too. =
Hence, my comments. I don't feel guilty of anything and I won't be =
changing.

If I find the conversation gets too technical and serious-minded, I will =
simply unsubscribe and use the archives as needed. Then I will find =
other outlets for my need to communicate with humor, curiosity, and real =
interest in the lives of fellow tuners.

Am I right, or am I wrong? Ah, that's the point. There IS no right or =
wrong about this. But there is something every bit as important as my =
obligation to not intentionally offend others: Others have an obligation =
to take no offense when none was intended, or when sincere apologies are =
given.

In a note of delicious irony, this post and all the threaten-to-leave =
posts are definitely OT (that's "Off Topic" for you folks in Rio Linda) =
and should be banned.

Keep smiling, folks. Life is far too important to take seriously.



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