Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watmath.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!jmsellens
From: jmsellens@watmath.UUCP (John M Sellens)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Why so quick to attack and criticize??
Message-ID: <16412@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 12-Sep-85 21:24:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: watmath.16412
Posted: Thu Sep 12 21:24:50 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 13-Sep-85 03:19:13 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 22

In article <517@oakhill.UUCP> hunter@oakhill.UUCP (Hunter Scales) writes:
>	Third, I dont understand why there seems to be so much hostility
>(and not just in this group, either).  Why is everyone so quick to attack
>even when they are not threatened?

I suspect that people may figure (subconciously at least) that it's easy to
attack and criticize someone that they will never meet.  Perhaps people
get a kick out of besting someone else, even if on a minor and insignificant
point (witness rashes of spelling flames in public, rather than polite
notes via mail).  Perhaps some people hide behind their userids.

It is very difficult to understand people just by their postings.  I have been
reading the news for 2 years now, and I am constantly amazed at just how
difficult it is to get a clear "fix" on some of our more frequent contributors.
I still have no *real* idea of what these people are really like.

So, I think that people might be wise to remember that it is another person
at the other end of the connection.  When I feel the urge to post or mail
something, I often find it useful to mark the article in question and come
back to it later.  Most of the time I end up not posting anything.

John