P3D Re: List manners

[roberts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (John W Roberts)]

>Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 10:48:44 -0600
>From: "Jeff Jessee" <jeffjess@xxxxxxx>
>Subject: P3D List manners

>I think there is something about EMAIL communication that
>causes some to say things they wouldn't say if they were
>face to face with the person, or if they had to find a pen
>and paper, write a letter, find an envelope and stamp, and
>mail it. Technology has made it too easy to say what comes
>off the top of our head, without time to think or consider
>the feelings at the other end. 

Very true. I think another factor is that some people can't shake off
the feeling that since they're controlling a machine to send email,
the people at the other end are also in some sense machines. Just
consider all the people who post messages trying to cancel their
subscription, instead of sending them to the mailing list robot.
As an extreme example, I've seen cases where people posted very nasty
messages, then went back and posted messages ordering all the readers
to delete the message from their memory! :-)

P3D does seem to have turned a lot more hostile in the last few months. 
One of the things that bothers me the most lately is the sarcastic
put-down. (Example: Somebody  posts a statement, then someone else,
instead of just disagreeing, has to make some clever comment like
"BZZT! Wrong answer", or "Guess you were dropped on the head as a
child", or similar comment intended to make that person look funny and
clever, and the original poster look stupid.) And comments of that kind 
are usually not in the midst of a heated debate, but a surprise attack
on some poor innocuous poster. In my opinion, that degree of nastiness
in having fun at someone else's expense has no legitimate place on P3D.

John R


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