Why Netiquette matters...

[Franca Ferrari-Bridgers]

I believe that we as linguists should use our weapons of war to argue for the survival of our discipline in the academia rather than use these weapons within our circles. Linguistics is at its lowest hiring point and soon, once the famous net warriors will retire, there flame wars will extinguish by themselves for lack of intellectual fire.
Perhaps it is time to use all our flaming thoughts, weapons and words to get together and fight battles for new jobs that will bring new blood on the field.




Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

-----Original Message-----
From: REGINA PUSTET <pustetrm at yahoo.com>
Sender: funknet-bounces at mailman.rice.edu
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:24:23 
To: Paul Hopper<hopper at cmu.edu>; alex gross<language at sprynet.com>
Cc: Tom Givon<tgivon at uoregon.edu>; Funknet<funknet at mailman.rice.edu>
Subject: Re: [FUNKNET] Why Netiquette matters...

I agree, Paul. These are things that have been in need of an explicit statement 
for a long time.

Regina




________________________________
From: Paul Hopper <hopper at cmu.edu>
To: alex gross <language at sprynet.com>
Cc: Tom Givon <tgivon at uoregon.edu>; Funknet <funknet at mailman.rice.edu>
Sent: Wed, March 9, 2011 11:23:27 PM
Subject: Re: [FUNKNET] Why Netiquette matters...

Well said, Alex. A dignified response to a cruel ad hominem "joke".

Paul

>Hey, you finally broke a FUNKNET record. Care to guess which one?  TG



On Wed, March 9, 2011 01:46, alex gross wrote:
> Tom, I like to imagine that I possess a sense of fitness and
> of humor.  So let me tell you in no uncertain terms that I have not the
> slightest intention of ever engaging in a flame war with you (though I bet
> if I did, I would win :-)  ).  This is because I have deep respect for you
> and for everyone here, including those I do not agree with, simply because
> you have all collectively undertaken the often thankless task of trying to
> understand how language works.
>
> That said, with all respect I can't help wondering if it was entirely
> appropriate for you, seconded by Chris, to suggest that the apparent lack
> of response to some of my messages might just indicate that my presence
> here may be superfluous. Based on my experience since 1991 with
> discussions on learned groups, in my opinion both those messages could be
>  interpreted as an invitation and/or instigation to a flame war, a
> challenge I
> absolutely will not accept.
>
> Flame wars are not merely bad Netiquette, they are boring and/or
> irritating to read, they shed no light but only heat and passion, and they
> diminish standards of discussion for everyone wherever they occur.
>
> I wonder if it might not be  appropriate for you to consider that
> perhaps you yourself might conceivably be one reason why debate is
> sometimes curtailed here, why some  contributors might think twice about
> posting, and why a number of us may not always receive as many replies as
> we might.
>
> All the very best!
>
>
> alex
>
>
>


-- 
Paul J. Hopper
Paul Mellon Distinguished Professor of Humanities
Department of English
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
and
Senior External Fellow
School of Linguistics and Literature
Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS)
Albertstr. 19
D-79105 Freiburg i.Br.
Germany