Discussions on electronic medium
Ramana Juvvadi (juvvadi@horizoncomp.com)
Sun, 20 Jul 1997 19:39:20 -0400
It is a little ironic that Pillamarri gaaru who cares so much about
not hurting the other person has to ultimately engage in a verbal
exchange. The two individuals engaged here are older and wiser
than I am, so I would rather not make any comment on this specific
instance. However, let me make some comments on the nature of
discussions in electronic medium in general. In other words,
I am taking off tangentially.
There is something attractive about this medium which draws us here.
Perhaps the people we meet in daily life are not knowledgeable enough.
Perhaps they don't care. We have come to this forum, because it is a
wonderful place to exchange our ideas. This is a place where we can
drop our usual inhibitions in face-to-face discussions and talk to our
heart's content. A lot of us have strong views on certain topics. It is
hard to resist when are our own cherished ideas are attacked by
others.
For those who care, my advice on electronic discussions is this. Spend
as much time as you want in fighting the other person's ideas if they
clash with yours. Cyberspace is not the place to keep quiet. However,
it is pointless to extend the fights to the person himself. To put it
simply, "contest an idea, never contest a person". If somebody attacks
you personally, deflect the discussions to the idea. It just drains
too much emotional energy to fight a person.
I see that most of you know this and practice this already. I hope it
is harmless to read it once more.
Ramana