Re^4: Belittling Beginners

[Argel]

The problem is that it could have gone the other way. We are lucky that instead of taking it personally he took it as a learning opportunity. But imo that is despite the harsh tone set by that thread. If anything we can probably thank ELISHEVA for changing the tone of that thread in 776334. But exhibiting bad behavior and assuming someone will offset it (or not caring that it happened to be offset) does in no way justify said bad behavior.

[Your Mother]

I know what you're saying and again I'm personally invested in being kind to strangers. This is a problem to me-

…justify said bad behavior.

It's behavior. It's participation. It's like anything else personal: a personal choice. In a free and open (source) world it doesn't need to be justified. Disparaging it as sub-standard is little different from disparaging code as sub-standard.

Down vote, respond directly, participate as you like, etc, but don't be surprised if your desire to force conformity or to force others to agree there is a need to push it is perceived as rude by someone else. Like me (who upvoted everything in this thread, I think, so don't take that as a --; it's a reminder that everything offends someone). Free exchange is more important than perfect agreement, harmony, or avoiding (non-fatal) tussles.

[Argel]

Communities, especially online ones, can live or die due to the behavior of members. Tilly gives us an example (see the links in the middle paragraph) of how the PerlMonks community almost failed due to a clique engaging in and promoting bad behavior. The reality is that it is inevitable that communities will define what is acceptable, unacceptable, forms of etiquette, etc. and that makes your agnostic view on behavior untenable.

And we are seeing this in practice right now. People are discussing what some consider to be undesirable behavior, people are voting (or not voting) on nodes related to said discussion, voting (or not) on consideration of nodes related to said discussion, etc.

Update: Fixed "example" link. Thanks ELISHEVA!!