-------------- Original message from "M. G. Devour" <mdev...@eskimo.com>:
--------------
> As much as we ought to expect courtesy and consideration from each
> other, a measure of tolerance and thick-skinned resiliency is required
> of us as well.
and
> In slightly different circumstances I'd not mind nor care about his
> seeming one-man crusade to convert people to responsible, self-reliant
> individuals by being rude to them.
**** Boy -- I've got to respectfully disagree with this Mike. And pardon me
for speaking out --I've been sitting on my hands thinking that I should be the
one to be silent now. But that's what's wrong with our world -- the ones who
object remain silent. The measure of any group of people in society --
cyber-society included -- is the level of behavior of the least of that
society. If it is required of polite people to become thick-skinned and
tolerate bad behavior, then everyone loses because as we become that way we
also become insensitive to our own behavior towards others. Isn't that a
slippery slope? Isn't that in large part what's wrong with our Country and our
world today? How much differently this would have all turned out if instead of
saying "you must not have tried too hard" -- Simon had simply said "try this"
or "here ya go". He could have been thinking "ya big dummy" or any other
negative thing that he wanted -- it wouldn't have hurt a thing. It costs
nothing t
o be polite. Someone on the list, by way of excusing Simon's behavior, said
that if I thought his behavior was bad, I should be on another list where the
behavior is brutal. Why would you justify bad behavior by worse behavior? I
wouldn't be a part of that list where brutal behavior is acceptable. I don't
think I'm the only one who feels that way -- we lost two members this week who
unsubscribed publicly, and I wonder how many others just quietly went away? We
need to be especially aware of how we appear to newcomers. This is supposed to
be a place where people can ask questions and request help. How will that
happen if requests for help are treated the way Simon treated mine? We are all
guests in Mike's online *house*, and we have an obligation to be civil to each
other. If there's a mean dog on the porch, no one's gonna come in. Even Simon
said that he doesn't behave this way in public. I regret that I was the
catalyst for Simon leaving the list. I will make an effort t
o try not to become embroiled again. But I was not the first object of Simon's
disdain -- as Ode and Dan can attest -- and I doubt I would have been the last.
I think your decision to end Simon's membership was the right one, and I hope
I have not offended anyone by speaking my mind.
Mary Ann
