Dorris,

My reply to you was not really a reply to YOU alone, but to many people here. I hope you understand that and don't take it personally. The same is true for the rest of my reply here.

Solidarity and empathy are crucial elements of a civilized society. I understand perfectly what motivates people here when Naomi and others are advised to stop worrying about what others think. But I think they should offer another type of help as well.

Let me recall the case of Jay Johengen, who added two people here to his twit filter on one day, now some weeks ago. Those persons were Naomi and me. We were both very very surprised by those actions. (Note that both were separate cases.) We felt that it was an inappropriate usage (an abuse) of the twit filter system and independently we tried to make that clear to Jay and to others. All that others did was blame US (we were again called childish, we ought quit worrying about others like Jay, we ought grow up, et cetera). They all affirmed that everybody here, so including Jay, had the full right to add anybody to the twit filter, for whatever reason, without any justification. Nobody took time to delve into what had led Jay to apply the twit filter and to write a critical reply to Jay or about Jay. Nobody has stood up to argue that this was a nonsensical abuse by Jay of the twit filter.

Jay was allowed to make insults in many messages (for example calling me an ass several times) and nobody told him that this type of behavior is anti-social and insulting. My own attempts to make this clear to him always invoked pure sarcastic comments by people like Kevin Goff.

Solidarity and empathy were almost totally lacking. (Update: Or, cynically, solidarity and empathy was with Jay.)

I am sure that now again a lot of those people here are thinking that I am upset and childish and have to grow up. (See their recent replies to me here.) However, they are all totally wrong there. I am not upset at all (I am never upset here) and childishness has nothing to do with, unless we call all who care about moral standards childish people who have to grow up.

BTW, Jay's calling me an ass was a conscious attempt to insult. To ensure that the word would make it in the text he applied a trick in the word. You can see the trick if you choose Reply and look for the word in the text.


>Peter
>
>Solidarity with what?
>
>>>Please, do yourself a favor - as many people have told you - quit worrying about what others think of you.
>>
>>What really amazes me here on the UT is the tremendous amount of people who tell others to quit worrying about what others think of you. Is this a part of the Wonderful American Culture? Or is it typical for, so-called rational, programmers? Is that the lesson Dr. Phil and Oprah Winfrey have taught you all?
>>
>>I criticize that attitude. It shows a serious lack of empathy and solidarity.