Freedom of speech doesn't imply freedom to abuse the language either. It's
not that he's got no right to do it, but he's certainly got no right to
expect people of all walks to appreciate and, ultimately, read and digest
it.
"When in Rome, do as the Romans..." applies to the language. He should read
what people express on this list and how they go about it. Then he should
do his level best to fit into that model. Everybody makes a mistake from
time to time, but flagrant, or reckless, or even intentional, abuses of the
language don't help the flow of information, and that's what the list is
about.
First of all, he's got to fit in. Then he can stand out, based on what he
has to contribute that's germane to the discussions on the list. He doesn't
have to be better than anyone else, but if he wants to be respected, he
simply has to show that he's doing his level best to be a constructive
contributor.
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sellam Ismail" <foo(a)siconic.com>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Friday, January 04, 2002 12:16 PM
Subject: Re: Trailing-edge compute farm seeks gainful employment
On Fri, 4 Jan 2002, Ian Koller wrote:
His "style" was definately different
than the "norm" for this list.
And he might have received better responses if he had followed the old
adage of "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". But here in the US we
are supposed to have freedom of speech, such that I may not agree with
what you say, nor may I even agree with how you say it, but I might
defend to the death your right to do so?
Freedom of speech does not guarantee a right to a response.
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer
Festival
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