On 29 Jan 2006 at 19:39, Rodney Waterman wrote: > No need to be triumphal, David, about your often abrasive and > offensive posting style. Keith has simply requested that you treat > others on this list - especially those with whom you disagree - with > dignity .. not too much to ask?
Well, so far as I can tell, I have done precisely that. If you disagree, then I suggest you point out exactly where in this thread I have treated anyone with anything less than dignity. If the strongly-worded paragraph that has been repeatedly quoted is your example, then I suggest that you re-read it more carefully, as no one was specifically mentioned by name or reference. On the other hand, if the shoe fits, either wear it, or explain why it's a badly made shoe. That the sentiment as expressed seems to provoke strong reactions indicates to me that I was successful at my intention, to provoke readers to react. Unfortunately, it seems that the reaction I've provoked among some is to the wrong thing, the style rather than the content. This may be a defect in my writing or it may be a defect in the comprehension of the readers. Knowing what I know now about the misperceptions, perhaps I could have reworded it to avoid that misperception. However, I fear that doing so would have lost the rhetorical force. Last of all, I'm not entirely certain that this isn't a "kill-the- messenger" reaction in the first place. At this point, however, I'm not certain that discussing my posting style has any utility for anyone at all. I'm not sure why anyone thinks that public posts on that subject could be helpful under any circumstances. So, if you want to criticize my posting style, please don't do it on the list -- email me personally, so as to avoid polluting the list with a discussion that probably interests very few readers. -- David W. Fenton http://dfenton.com David Fenton Associates http://dfenton.com/DFA/ _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
