Klarinet Archive - Posting 000227.txt from 1998/12

From: Note Staff Unlimited <notestaff@-----.ch>
Subj: [kl] Re: Roger and Tony
Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 02:05:28 -0500

LeliaLoban@-----.com schrieb:

> W. Grabner wrote,
> >>Roger recently unsubscribed to the clarinet list after several lengthly
> "disputes". I for one will miss his posts, as I found them full of helpful
> information. In the meantime, I am forwarding his posts, or posts where he is
> mentioned.>>
>
> >>If you want to e-mail Roger directly his address is
> Rgarrett@-----.>>
>
> I was afraid this had happened, since someone called him "an idiot," others
> more or less said they didn't want Roger around here any more and since he
> hadn't posted here in several days. I haven't subscribed to the list long
> enough to be aware of the whole history of whatever happened between Roger and
> other subscribers, but I've enjoyed corresponding with him a bit, off-topic
> and off the list, and I've also valued his posts here, along with those of the
> people who argued with him. In such a useful and generally rational forum as
> this one, I think it's unfortunate that reasonable differences of opinion have
> gotten out of hand and turned personal so often lately, and that some people
> have engaged in ad hominem argument and name-calling. As someone else said
> today, Internet discussions have a short half-life. When somebody forgets
> himself or herself and hastily posts something without counting to ten (or two
> hundred...) first, or when a thread in general starts spiralling around the
> sewer drain, maybe the best way to deal with it is to ignore it, quit posting
> to that thread, and just wait it out.
>
> In the context of the ongoing discussion of the Nazis, our spats look awfully
> small. Surely it's beneath everyone's dignity to drive someone off the list
> because he sometimes gets grumpy. Nobody's life is at stake here.
>
> Lelia
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> "What if they gave a war and nobody came?"
> --bumper sticker, c. 1967
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>

Yes, it's a pity that the discussion took this turn.

I feel somewhat responsible as it was a reply to my post where Tony resorted to
the word "idiot". This was rather dissapointing to me. As I have told my 12 year
old son, it's not very smart to call someone an idiot (his eight year old sister
for instance!). It misses the point, it's not correct and it's not helpful.

My next disappointment was Mark's reply which seemed to more or less say, "Yes,
Tony, you're right and we all know that but never mind ..." I wished Mark had
found another way to sympathize with Tony.

I think that what Tony was actually saying, is that even his exeptional ability to
verbalize has, in this case prooved insufficient to get his point across to
Roger. I don't think Tony meant his respectless comment to be a personal insult,
rather that he was just letting off steam at a weak moment.

It might have turned out differently if the various involved persons were sitting
around an open fireplace with a bottle of good (or even mediocre) French wine and
cheese instead of the dumbest animal of all: the computer.

I'll forward a copy to Roger as he's no longer on the list. I hope he will come
back even though I couldn't care less about marching bands... We might all still
learn something from him.

David
David Glenn
notestaff@-----.ch

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