Subject: Re: Recent list-serve "debate"
Vigdor Schreibman - FINS (fins@access.digex.net)
Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 03:13:27 -0400 (EDT)
Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 03:13:27 -0400 (EDT) From: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <roundtable@cni.org> Subject: Re: Recent list-serve "debate" In-Reply-To: <1.5.4.32.19980612014813.006cfd18@pop.mindspring.com> Message-Id: <Pine.SUN.3.96.980612025215.27005D-100000@access5.digex.net>
On Thu, 11 Jun 1998, Mark J. Huisman <cinemark@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> I'm not blowing off hot air, and I'm sorry if that's how it came across.
> And please excuse my hurried misspelling of devote (I typed debote). I
> just see a great deal of incivility on this board lately, much of it
> (although I realize we are not personally acquainted) by people whose
> opinions and work I genuinely respect. It pains me to see them
> needlessly resorting to the same kind of personal attacks that permeate
> all of Washington today. I don't think this mode of "disagreement"
> facilitates informed, reasoned debate about anything. I'm sorry my
> comments seemed like griping; they were meant to be a statement
> that I think people who work so hard in the interests of the public
> generally,which so few people truly do, that they can do better, even
> when they disagree.
Your concerns over these communications problems are shared by many
serious participants in this conference but bear in mind two issues:
First, interpersonal actions in all soceties are plagued with conflicts
arising out many factors: differing personal perspectives, the limited
human capacity to process information, and deep value conflicts, etc.
Second, the attempt to deal with these conflicts competently is not
easy in the best of circumstances; more difficult when the topic of
discussion is complex, and further attenuated in electronic format,
where chaos is the rule.
It is futile to plead with people to solve these problems without
dealing effectively with the underlying causes and without
disciplined use of the essential methodologies.
Aside from curbing the more outrageous forms of personal attack,
which is irresponsible, what needs to be done is organize experiments
in group dialogue over the Net, so as to introduce computer supported
methodologies that are available (or obtainable) to facilitate competent
management of group decision making. These matters are discussed at
my website in the cluster of directories dealing with Dialogue.
News professionals should be interested in such experiments but in
the years of my surfing the Net I have yet to find one that was
seriously interested in taking on that kind of challenge. Maybe
you are the exception, Mark. Are you?
Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>
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