Klarinet Archive - Posting 000240.txt from 1994/02

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.EDU>
Subj: A compliment to all
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 00:37:02 -0500

I want you all to know that I look at a lot of boards on internet
and I am often astonished at the amount of old-fashioned impoliteness
that I see on some of them. And I am probably understating the case.
Sometimes, the communications border on the malicious and the hateful.

I am not speaking of hate groups, but people expressing ugly, unpleasant
coments to one another over some technical or aesthetic disagreement, such
as whether Beethoven is a better composer than someone else, or if
one should put butter or margerine in an apple flan.

So far, on this board, I am happy to say that I have seen none of that.
People are polite to each other and tolerant of a view that differs from
their own. That is both rare and pleasant.

I think all of us owe us a compliment for behaving in a civil fashion
while discussing topics for which we have strong personal feelings,
for listening to and giving consideration to views that depart from our
own perspectives, and for making an effort not to flame someone when
their view is in opposition with our own.

We have people on this board with a broad range of experience. It is
very easy for the more experienced to sneer at the opinions of the
less experienced. But all views are worthy of being expressed on
this board and I am always happy to see a perspective that is diametrically
opposite from the one I hold. It makes me rethink the issues involved
to verify that the elements of my decision making process are still sound.
And very often they are not and I have to reverse myself after 30 years
of thinking a certain way about playing or performance or something else.

So congratulations to ourselves for being decent people who don't
do a dump on someone whose views are different than our own.

And congratulations to ourselves for remaining civil in the face of
strong counteropinion, plainly though not insultingly voiced.

And congratulations to ourselves for being so smart as to have chosen
the very best orchestral instrument to play. Would you want your
sister to marry a cellist? Would you be happy if your children
wanted to play the accordion? Hell no.

====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
====================================

   
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