[Tfug] Politics, Religion, trolls and Linux

[John Gruenenfelder]

On Sun, May 27, 2007 at 11:15:30PM -0700, Ronald Sutherland wrote:
>We are people with points of view, and thats a simple fact. I do not try 
>to offend but sometimes do for that I would like to apologize.
>
>I have not watched TV in a few years, except the random trip to see my 
>brother, or parents. I am sensing a lot of hate both in list, at work 
>and almost every place. I'm guessing its emanating from the TV 
>programing everyone is getting feed, I suggest turning it off and 

I have to disagree with your conclusion.  As somebody who makes an effort to
read the newspaper every day I can assure you that there is more than enough
printed in those pages to fill me with hate and/or anger.  And it doesn't even
have to be prejudicial.

It's just part of being human and having opinions.  For example, I disagree
with you, but there is no hate or anger there.  On the other hand, I might
read about somebody who's opinions differ from mine but who chooses to try and
be as big a jerk about it as possible (Jack Thompson, I'm looking at you) and
that's likely to fill me with a certain amount of anger.

The amount of vitriol is also determined by whom you are arguing with.
Earlier this year I wrote an op/ed column in the UMass newspaper wherein I
spoke poorly, in the last paragraph, of the aforementioned Jack Thompson.  So
he flamed me.  Though the outcome was predetermined, I tried to be
professional and wrote back politely.  More flames.

Now, while he's an extreme case, any public list is going to have people who
try to be civil and those who try to be trolls.  That person who keeps
randomly popping in here with emails that seem to be halfway into a
conversation about IP infringement, TFUG, and the Governor comes to mind...

At any rate, the Internet, in all its glory, has helped me develop a very
thick skin.  That fact isn't going to make me start flaming people, but at the
same time I wouldn't have it any other way.


-- 
--John Gruenenfelder    Research Assistant, UMass Amherst student
                        Systems Manager, MKS Imaging Technology, LLC.
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