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From: andrea@hp-sdd.UUCP
Newsgroups: news.misc
Subject: Re: Abuses of the net
Message-ID: <610@hp-sdd.HP.COM>
Date: Sat, 22-Nov-86 23:07:04 EST
Article-I.D.: hp-sdd.610
Posted: Sat Nov 22 23:07:04 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 24-Nov-86 01:03:03 EST
References: <225@mind.UUCP> <21023@styx.UUCP> <9516@sun.uucp>
Reply-To: andrea@hp-sdd.UUCP (Andrea K. Frankel)
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, San Diego Division
Lines: 35
Summary: a good-natured request for perspective

In article <9516@sun.uucp> falk@sun.uucp (Ed Falk) writes:
>I can't believe that in this day and age people are still so uptight about
>four-letter words.  Perhaps someone should write a filter for rn that
>allows people who are easily offended to have all dirty words pre-screened
>for them.

I don't consider myself uptight about (quote-unquote) "foul language",
being likely to use it myself when upset enough, but there's a definite
difference between an occasional use of invective to make a statement
more emphatic ("hell, yes!"), inject some emotional content ("you
heartless bastard, how can you say that?") make the tone more casual
("another damn I/O bug"), or even as part of a colloquialism that is no
longer shocking ("puttin' on mah shit-kickin' boots"), as compared with
gratuitous, automatic, excessive use, or use in personal attacks.

Frankly, it's tiresome to run across postings from people who are
using the net to "act out" or vent their emotions inappropriately.
Just as it is wearing to read postings in all caps, or ones where
every sentence ends with an exclamation point, seeing too much invective
decreases the effect (and speeds up the "n" key reflex!).

I don't want to run this into the ground (being more of a free-wheeler
than a bureaucrat), but a little courtesy goes a long way in public
discussion.  And as the guide for new net.users says, you never know
when someone reading what you've posted might be across the desk
from you when next you go job-hunting!

Andrea Frankel, Hewlett-Packard (San Diego Division) (619) 592-4664
 "...like a song that's born to soar the sky..."
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