Proposal: Official whitespace response

[Steve Holden]

Forrest Cahoon wrote:
> 
> [Justifications of original post's tone]
>
> Are you suggesting that my initial posts were immature, or my public
> mention of the noxious private e-mails I received from Moshe Zadka?
> 
> If the former, I believe I have addressed this above.  As for the
> latter, it is difficult to know what to do when someone, who
> participates civally in public discussion, sends private e-mail that is
> very much less than civil.  (He got the "Oh YEAH!?!?" part down really
> good, but there was nothing remotely resembling an 'X' in what he had to
> say.)  Moshe Zadka is the only person who sent me mail from this
> discussion that wasn't also posted.  Netiquette dictates that I not post
> his private e-mail publically (although I wonder about that), but
> mentioning this private behavior to the public audience seems the only
> reasonable response.  How else could I discourage his behavior?
> Responding to him directly would only have encouraged him.

Generally, experience teaches that it is difficult to DO anything public
which will moderate the tone of something happening in private.  Since
you were wise enough not to repost the private mail, we can have no real
insight into the behavior that inflamed you, and since I don't know you
any better than I know the other protagonist I continue to fall back on
the default assumption for newsgroups: take people as you find them, and
form your opinions form their public posts and direct private mails.

It's annoying, but in fact, the best action in circumstances like this is
usually to turn the other cheek and just do nothing.  Otherwise you run
the risk of becoming embroiled in endless (public or private) flame wars
which are pretty much just a useless waste of energy.  We all sometimes
say and do things we'd rather not have, and I' always grateful if someone
is kind enough to ignore my less honorable outbursts ... :-)
> 
> > until then, hope you'll enjoy sitting in my killfile.
> >
> > *plonk*
> 
> Somehow, I couldn't come up with a response to this "threat" that didn't
> sound as silly as you sound.  Maybe a little bit of silliness is OK,
> though.

I hope this reinforces my contention that no response is actually the most
appropriate response.  This is a NEWSGROUP, which is (sometimes) only
marginally connected with real life.

And there's certainly nothing wrong with a little bit of silliness.  Does
the phrase "... and now for something completely different ..." ring any
bells?

> 
> f
> 
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Before you buy.

regards
 Steve
--
"If computing ever stops being fun, I'll stop doing it"