Comments & Criticisms

Richard Oliver Snelson rsnelson@bwsys.net
Thu, 19 Sep 2002 08:43:39 -0500


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.
> 
>

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