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> Frankly, I hate to see this, simply because I think
> a large part of the value of this list is its diversity,
> size, and breadth. As I've mentioned on list before,
> a thick skin shouldn't be required to participate
> in this list effectively.
I disagree. Writing (as a profession) and participating in the Internet demand
a certain amount of skin hardness. If we pander to every persons' sensitivities
then there would be nobody on this list but a pack of dullards who never
disagree.
This list and many others go through periods of intensity and boredom.
Sometimes things get hot and other times they are dull. We can't be positive,
happy, and supportive all the time. That's what the Teletubbies are for.
Being able to state your ideas and hold your own in a debate is part of
participating. If all people want is immediate concession to their ideas then
start a religion.
I also find it ragingly humorous that people who claim to be skilled
communicators cannot communicate their ideas effectively without becoming
emotionally enraged or offended. Just because you don't like what somebody says
or even how they say it, does not mean you have absolute discretion to silence
those ideas or expressions. That includes all you pregnant chads out there.
Just today a few writers here in our office were chuckling about writers we've
known who whine "didn't you like anything about my document?" after handing
them a bunch of edits. Errors and disagreements are a fact of life. Either you
cope or whine.
Yes, we should all monitor our personal snipes at each other. However, I also
think a lot of people here (myself especially) should try to recognize that
they do not hold a monopoly on truth. I learn the most about things when I
accept that I am usually wrong.
Lastly, the world is a better place when we lighten up and remember that the
universe will function with or without our documentation. We are not a nation
of the precision machinery, for the precision machinery, and by the precision
machinery as James Baker wants us to believe.
Andrew Plato
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