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> I don't think it was Andrew's having a different point of view that some
> people found troublesome.
Yes, it was more how he said things.
One person's candor is another person's rudeness. This is subjective. During one
heated thread a few months ago, I briefly corresponded off-list with a poster
whom I've always respected, and we were discussing how certain posters tend to
set us off. Take these two posters: I'll call them Bert and Ernie.
The person I was corresponding with felt that Bert was a breath of fresh air
while Ernie was egotistical and annoying. Surprised, I wrote back that I thought
Bert was insufferable while Ernie was funny and thought-provoking. (To be more
accurate, I should have referred to Bert and Ernie's *posts*, not the posters
themselves. Who knows what they're like offline?)
If you find a given poster objectionable, remember that there are going to be
people on the list who haven't the foggiest idea why you're offended. If someone
consistently irritates you and you don't like that, set up a filter. (I didn't
set up a Bert filter. Why? I have to admit, I wanted to see what outrageous
statement Bert would make next. When it comes to the list, I guess I'd rather be
annoyed than bored. If that's why you don't kill-file somebody, then you have to
accept some responsibility when you get annoyed.)
I often disagreed with Andrew, especially on the topic of coddling the end users
(I'm strongly in favor of it). But I appreciated Andrew's candor and humor a
great deal. I'll miss his posts.
Christine
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