Klarinet Archive - Posting 000882.txt from 1998/11

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Should I..? [No, you shouldn't.]
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 19:06:24 -0500

On Mon, 23 Nov 1998, Scott Morrow wrote:

> The post was meant to point out that (as you've also noted) there is not
> necessarily a right or wrong answer to every question, and that the
> PHRASING of some questions and responses might inaccurately suggest that
> there are! The moral of the story: be careful of couching your
> questions and responses in definitive absolute language!

I disagree with your interpretation of the "moral of the story."
The direction of your suggestion is backward relative to the con-
text of Klarinet interaction. More specifically, I believe that
since participants on the list have the supreme prerogative to
"take the best and chuck the rest," the burden of deciding what
to believe -- and to what degree (be it marginally or absolutely)
-- resides with each individual member. Given the open and un-
moderated nature of the forum, I would say that it is best for
each individual participant to be a responsible reader. It is
much easier (and more logical) to act on the suggestion "Take
everything you read on the list with a grain of salt" than
"Modify your manner of word choice and phrasing when posting
to the list, such that it is understood by all recipients of
your message that you are expressing only one point of view,
which may or may not be the only available perspective, much
less necessarily accurate or factual to any definitive degree."
With the breadth of experience and perspective on the list,
achieving a uniform understanding, not to mention compliance,
relative to the most effective manner of expressing ideas, is
about as easy as herding cats. 'Too many independent minds
working on too many different levels in too many different di-
rections.

The moral of the story: Don't worry too much about the impact
of your phrasing and word choice. Just be certain that you
understand that regardless of how others might state their
perspective, all contributions are subject to your scholarly
and empirical verification. Until then, it's ALL hearsay --
no matter who says what.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------