Klarinet Archive - Posting 000946.txt from 2000/11

From: rgarrett@-----.edu
Subj: Re: [kl] Just back from Florida
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 14:36:21 -0500

At 12:26 PM 11/29/00 -0500, you wrote:
>I just got back for a weeks vacation in Florida (ya know, helping with the
>vote count and all ;)
>Coming back to see the usual bickering between members with various
>personal shots.
>
>"Can't we all just get along"?

David,

It's a great idea! One of the basic premises of getting along is that
everyone must care about getting along and work hard at it. It's a
requirement for what many consider civilized behavior (as opposed to
uncivilized behavior). I remember a class in ethics that focused on these
kinds of issues. One of the generally accepted concepts for civilized
behavior is good manners and thoughtful, courteous posts/replies/etc. As
one who has had to work hard at this approach when
emailing/posting(wouldn't it be easy just to hit the reply button in a fury
at what one perceives as a major insult????!!!!), I can assure you that it
doesn't come easy to everyone. Still, with work (and of course, desire) it
can happen.

The problem as I see it is that not all who are bickering really care if
they are perceived as foolish, mean-spirited, insulting, or otherwise. One
person has actually gone on record to state that. When this kind of
attitude happens, civilized behavior is hit and miss. This is one of the
problems with an unmoderated list (but there are advantages too).

Many of us are teachers - and we occasionally have the talented, very
bright pupil in class who is also a negative influence on others. Only
with exceptional leadership and careful treatment can they be
taught/managed. Alas, occasionally, they cannot be managed and the result
is that they are asked to leave or they are dealt with at a higher
level. This list does not have many of those kinds of
individuals. Fortunately, for the occassional obvious negative individual
who comes along, Mark has been kind enough to place restrictions on their
opportunities to post. But for the occassional one who does so
purposefully - and with an adult understanding of language and perception -
there are no safeguards.

Hopefully, your post will be an encouragement to those kinds of people to
think more carefully. I certainly can attest to your posts in the past
having been helpful to me in that kind of way!

I hope this posting is not viewed negatively by the list - it is simply a
few minutes of random thought before I jump into filling a very large
mouthpiece order.

Thanks for reading!!

Best wishes,
Roger Garrett

Roger Garrett
Assistant Professor of Clarinet
Director, Symphonic Winds
Head, Recording Studio
Illinois Wesleyan University
School of Music
Bloomington, IL 61702-2900
(309) 556-3268

"A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes
another's."
Jean Paul Richter (1763-1825)

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