A while ago we discussed questions regarding flaming or hypercritical
criticism.  Jim Fructerman has some thoughts on this which I thought were
worth sharing.  Jim is President of Arkenstone, which makes such popular
products as the Open Book and Atlas Speaks.

kelly
 >From:
"Jim Fruchterman"<[log in to unmask]> >To: <[log in to unmask]>
>
>     This is a short essay on flaming and email listservs, because I think
>     it would be helpful to share my philosophy on the topic.
>
>     1.  The existence of Flaming.
>
>     As many internet old-timers can tell you, flaming has been with us for
>     quite a while.  Flame mail is electronic mail messages that are sent
> that
>     would be unacceptable due to their tone, language and personal
> attacks in
>     most other forms of media.  Other, more learned observers have analyzed
>     this phenomena, and have expressed opinions on why people send email
>     messages with sentiments that they would never express in
> person.  Perhaps
>     it's the asynchronous nature of the media, the immediacy of the send
>     button, or the captive audience.
>
>     2.  How to respond to flames.
>
>     Some people think you can fight flames with flames.  I believe they are
>     wrong.  People who flame have strong opinions (often negative) and are
>     looking for attention.  Responding in kind usually justifies their
>     negative attitudes, and leads to escalation in the war of words.
>     Disagreements over important and material points of interest to people
>     on an email list get obscured when one party supports its side with
>     contending that the only way the opposing side could reach a different
>     conclusion is to be intellectually or morally dishonest, mentally
>     defective and so on.
>
>     The best way to respond to flames is to ignore them.  You can't start
>     a fire if there's nothing to burn.  When people send flame mail and
>     find that nobody answers them, they start thinking about why that is
>     the case, and take a more constructive tack to getting their ideas
>     across.
>
>     3.  Why listserv moderators don't want to kick flamers off lists.
>
>     Revoking a person's participation in an electronic list is a remedy of
>     last resort.  The Internet encourages free speech as much as possible.
>     Many people who resort to flame tactics have important contributions
>     to make, even if their behavior in the social context of an email
>     community is unpleasant.  The solution is to encourage responsible
>     behavior, rather than coerce or forbid it.
>
>     This should be done in private emails, not public criticism.  One
>     person's flamer is another person's advocate.
>
>     Jim Fruchterman
>


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