John Peterson said:

>Yet, the civility issue really comes to the top of things. There are those that would sacrafice technical accuracy for civility...

I think I can say that no one in this community wants to sacrifice technical accuracy for civility. If that was the only choice there would be no debate.

But the fact is that there is always a way to be accurate and civil at the same time. There are a lot of key phrases that make this possible:

From my point of view...
Based on my experience...
I think you may have made an error when...


>The bad thing about civility is that it is so subjective.

Actually emphasizing subjectivity is the key. Look at the phrases above. What they have in common is the recognition that this is a complex world. Good minds can come to different conclusions. We need to speak the truth as we see it while remembering that we see only a portion of the truth.


>What is regarded as a personal attack by some, is not by others. Who can judge. Nobody...

Here I would respectfully disagree. It seems to me that the things that I find disagreeable are very much like the things that others find disagreeable.

I suspect that John is quick to recognize something that looks like a personal attack. Since he has a tough skin and good self-esteem he may well just let it roll off without responding. But I imagine he doesn't like it even when he is silent.


In summary, I would recommend that no one refrain from posting because their technical judgement is different from anothers. But do so respectfully. And if the party you disagree with still disagrees, then let that be the end of it. Our responsibility should be to post accurately but not to go on and on about the same point.

The thing that I worry about most here is that some members of the UT community will act as if they have a special responsibility to correct the posts of other specific members. That stuff is deadly and can drag us all down.


Please forgive me for broadcasting this message. I'm doing so in the spirit of peace at this special time of year.

Peter Robinson