formal/functional flaming

[Johanna Rubba]

Why can't we all just get along?

I thought Spike made some wonderful suggestions about how to respond
politely but critically to other people's postings, but I still see a
lot of pretty unkind remarks flying around. Can't we just cool it a bit?
Count to a hundred before posting a response to a posting that riles us?
Read our own responses closely for implied offense before we hit the
'send' button?

Let's practice some of those politeness hedges. It's getting so I tense
up when I open Funknet postings ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Johanna Rubba   Assistant Professor, Linguistics
English Department, California Polytechnic State University
One Grand Avenue  • San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Tel. (805)-756-2184  •  Fax: (805)-756-6374 • Dept. Phone.  756-259
• E-mail: jrubba at calpoly.edu •  Home page: http://www.calpoly.edu/~jrubba
                                       **
"Understanding is a lot like sex; it's got a practical purpose,
but that's not why people do it normally"  -            Frank  Oppenheimer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~