Re: On-list insults - was RE: [Leica] M3 and airport .

[kiklaas@iinet.net.au]

Well put.

Take Care

Karina



> In a message dated 3/5/02 10:24:36 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
> kiklaas@iinet.net.au writes:
> 
> > I thought photographers were happy people - bad genralisation perhaps,
> >  I am new to this thread and I am gobsmacked at the amount of in-house 
> >  squabbling that goes on - I would expect this in an all girls high 
school
> >  (do not see too many females writing into this thread) - GOSH, I 
thought 
> >  this was meant to be an informative, fun, sharing experience.
> >  
> >  I would hate to see what would happen if all came face to face - talk 
> >  about egos.
> 
> My guess is if we all came face-to-face, it wouldn't happen.
> 
> A couple of weeks ago I posted a sharp reaction to what I read as some 
> extremely rude, uncivil messages. I unsubscribed. In the interim, I took 
a 
> rail trip from Albany, New York to Los Angeles and return (6,150 miles = 
> almost 10,000 km!). A lovely trip, a little cocoon of space and time 
without 
> intrusions, no television, no telephones, leisure to read, photograph (I 
> inaugurated my new 50 year-old Leica IIf with 50/3,5 Elmar and a 25/4 
> Voigtlander/Cosina Skopar) and contemplate. Also completely rested my 
delete 
> finger.
> 
> I thought of some of the discussions which have recently once again hit 
the 
> LUG and of how often they deteriorate into pure personality clashes. And 
it 
> occured to me that this phenomenon may well be attributable to our 
electronic 
> medium. Were we face-to-face, we would, I suggest, never never speak to 
one 
> another as we seem to feel free to write to one another. It would become 
an 
> intolerably uncomfortable world. And if two people actually did so in 
public, 
> that is in a public social setting, others would simply walk away and 
shun 
> them - it would be too uncomfortable. And it might well lead to blows. 
This 
> medium is an insulator that disconnects us from the consequences of our 
> rudeness.
> 
> There is another aspect to this: I believe that there have been posts 
here 
> that were intended as jokes or puns but that have been read seriously 
and 
> therefore been taken as provocations. Sharp response spirals into 
sharper 
> counter-response. When we are face-to-face with someone, body language, 
> facial expressions and all kinds of other unspoken language can convey 
that 
> we do not mean seriously the words we speak, that in fact we sometimes 
mean 
> the opposite. And the listener understands that unspoken language as it 
> is intended to be conveyed. The internet deprives us of that possibility.
> 
> I have a feeling that if we all bear this in mind, if when we are 
writing a 
> criticism of someone else's post we think of what and how we would 
express 
> ourselves if we were sitting with that person and a couple of others - 
say 
> Papa Ted Grant and Momma Tina Manley - having coffee at Starbucks!! - 
and if 
> we remain cognisant of the fact that the other person can't see our 
> expression or hear the different tone of voice, this would be a much 
> pleasanter place. 
> 
> We can still disagree as strenuously as we always have and yet keep our 
> disagreements and discourse from becoming so hostile that the LUG 
becomes far 
> less pleasant than it can and should be. 
> 
> My $.02.
> 
> Best to all,       Seth         LaK 9
> --
> To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html
> 

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