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Subject:Offline courtesy among list members? From:"Hart, Geoff" <Geoff-H -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 18 Dec 2001 09:41:54 -0500
Pete Sanborn noted, in passing, that <<... in an advanced society, the rules
of etiquette are among the few things that separate us from a developing 3rd
world country.>>
While we may indeed have better-developed rules of etiquette, my experience
is that members of the so-called "first world" are, on average, rather
unlikely to follow these rules; in fact, I've had anecdotal evidence
(nothing that would stand up in court) that the third world is, on average,
far more polite than we are. Of course, any sweeping generalization does
gross injustice to the truth, and my experience has been that self-centered
inconsideration for others is by no means limited to the third world; on the
contrary, judging by how widespread it is, I suspect it's a fundamental part
of human nature.
<<I think Matthew would discover that a simple thank you would garner him
far more *repeat* favors than he currently gets.>>
That's for sure. I've found that a simple, heartfelt "thanks" takes me next
to no time to say (or type), and makes the world a slightly more pleasant
place to live in. Ropbert Heinlein, undoubtedly ripping off someone else's
quote, pointed out that politeness is the oil with which the gears of human
interaction are oiled so they can run more smoothly. Worth a thought.
--Geoff Hart, FERIC, Pointe-Claire, Quebec
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
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"Etiquette? We doan need no steenkeen' etiquette!"
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