Re: Rules of discourse for the mailing lists
bruce@pixar.com (Bruce Perens) wrote on 15.10.97 in <[🔎] m0xLcn9-00IdTzC@golem.pixar.com>:
> From: ian@chiark.greenend.org.uk (Ian Jackson)
> > However, `treating others with respect' is far to vague to be a useful
> > guideline.
>
> Do you prefer the language I suggested later? It was "Don't ridicule,
> deride, or taunt others." Definitions are appended to this message.
I must say I personally find this policing attempt disturbing.
Whenever I've had problems with what people write here, it has been with
the content or with the attitude behind it, not with the words (well,
except if the words are making the mail indecipherable, but that doesn't
happen often).
I seriously doubt regulating the words will help. And it might do the
opposite; remember all the hoopla around the CDA?
> He would have been well within his rights to say "I question your
> competence in this area." Idiot is a technical term, indicating a
> mental age not exceeding three years and requiring complete custodial
> care. Calling someone that is a lot worse than questioning someone's
> capability to make good decisions about systems programming.
Well, the way it is used by most people, it means something very different
- and for that reason, I'd be much rather called an idiot than have
someone say they question my competence.
MfG Kai
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