Jim,
Point taken... and a poorly worded sentence did not help. I should
have typed "it would be somewhat disingenuine to suggest that this is
anywhere close to the norm". If you are not suggesting that this is
the norm, then no need for you to be upset. In any case, there is
little need for you to feel insulted.
Further, the last thing I would do is in anyway suggest that your
success 'doesn't count'. In fact, I think it is admirable. I just
wish it was more commonplace. I think the mantra needs to be along
the lines of encouraging smart, business or management minded folks
to boldly go in that direction.
Far from embracing the 'way things are', I work everyday to make
change in my little corner of the world so that our field, and the
larger field of design has the room to effect change and make a
difference. Progress has been dramatic in some environments and
completely stifled in others.
On a personal note... I should probably take more care in the manor
in which I say things here, but harsh rebuttals are what keep many
silent on this forum. I wish there was more tolerance towards open
discussion, disagreement and and even some resolve.
We probably agree Jim, on much more than we disagree.
Mark
On Oct 7, 2008, at 2:59 PM, Jim Leftwich wrote:
Mark, let me respectfully yet firmly disagree with you. Firstly, I
did in no way whatsoever suggest, assert, nor imply that my situation
(as one of the earliest pioneers in Interaction Design) was "close to
the norm" as you put it. In fact, if you read my post you'll
clearly see that I actually took great pains to *not* refute or argue
with what Christina and Scott had said, but rather was positing the
importance of keeping open the possibility of envisioning and working
*one career at a time* toward alternate situations.
To call an aspect of my post "disingenous" strikes me as highly
insulting. It's one thing to put words in someone else's mouth,
but then to call that somewhat disingenuous, well... Really.
Perhaps you would like to back up and rephrase your assessment.
Mutual respect is of the highest order in our conversations here and
I believe that everyone would concur that if we are to move forward,
we must be free to put forth our ideas without the type of assault on
character that charges of disingenuity carry.
And if there's been any single rhetorical gambit employed against
anything I've ever suggested over the past twenty-five years, it's
been something along the lines of, "Well, okay, but you're
different. So that doesn't count and we can (implied) ignore what
you're saying."
We're all different. Each and every designer, though we may live in
world of bell curves and common realities, has the ability to turn our
rudders and adjust our trim tabs to move in a wide variety of
directions. There will never be a shortage of those appealing "to
the way things are," and my voice is simply there to insist that
while there is much truth to those realities (and I would never, for
a second, imply disingenuity on the part of those arguing from those
positions), that every one of us has the potential to be an
exception.
And when all of those exceptions are added in, our field can move
forward. It behooves every designer, no matter how young, to work
toward earning that respect that they seek for themselves and for our
field. Seek those networking opportunities. Seek that constant
education and breadth of experience. Put your efforts into movement,
not despair.
Suspend at least some portion of your judgement for what *you* think
should be, and work toward making that a reality. I certainly did
not just wake up one morning with the opportunities I have today. I
struggeled against great odds and against the opinions and judgements
of many others, including many in our own field, and suffered many
setbacks along the way. We live in a continuum, not a fixed
situation. We are on paths, not tracks.
This is what I was saying. I'm surprised to see it taken so very
wrongly.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=33964
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