[Leica] Re: Freedom of expression and responsibility

[Jim Brick <jim@brick.org>]

It has been my premise that when speaking on the LUG, or any e-mail list,
one should speak as if the person (or people) are sitting across from you
at a table.

Now this is not always easy to do. But one can make a point about an issue
without name calling and other vulgarities. Just stop and think... after
calling someone a name, e.g. "stick it Jim", you happen to meet them at a
LUG gathering, or Leica workshop, or somewhere. What do you say?

One can voice their opinion, even use someone's name in reference to the
opinion, but to denigrate someone personally, rather than just the opinion,
can backfire.

Heated discussions frequently take place among scientists, friends,
gatherings, but it is the ideas and opinions that are taken to task, not
the person. And a separation should be made.

Those folks that can "only" cast disparaging remarks, do eventually find
their way into my filter list. Who needs to waste time reading that stuff?

I don't claim to be able to always follow my own advice, but I try.

Jim




At 10:00 AM 5/31/99 -0700, MarK R. wrote:
>I was wondering if because of the physical/technical structure of this
>group: being an Email Reflectorship we would have some more rights than
>a Newsgroup.
>A Newsgroup would seem to be a form of broadcasting but we are just a
>controlled distribution of E Mails. A group of friends sitting around
>talking; or 777 of them.
>As there is probably no precedent for trying to prove a libel or some
>such case against a discussion in a Email list or even a newsgroup that
>makes it hard to determine.
>Mark Rabiner
>