Alan, I think you are missing the fact that this group has written goals and purposes for it's contents. It is becoming a lonely hearts club! That is not one of the goals. IMHO. Rich > "Alan R. Barnard" wrote: > > 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. > >
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC