Craig,
I have to second your remarks, and I'll do so with the words of a man I have profound disagreements with. In 1999 when President Clinton was about to enter the House to deliver the State of the Union speech, there was an expectation in political circles that the Republicans would refuse to show respect to the Office of the Presidency. Trent Lott, then Senate Majority Leader, put an end to any such talk by telling his colleagues, "Good manners is always good politics."
I've been a linguist for close to half a century, and I've observed plenty of rudeness among linguists, and it has rarely contributed to the intellectual ferment and progress of the field. I'm not talking about the sort of strong and thoughtfully considered differences among linguists on this list as to the nature of language and what constitutes good linguistic theory. Those conversations have been direct, often pointed, but rarely rude--certainly not on the scale of Autonomous Grammar vs. Generative Semantics back in the 70s.
We observe good manners especially with those we disagree with because only in that way can we focus on issues and not persons.
Herb
-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Craig Hancock
Sent: Saturday, January 01, 2011 2:51 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Reminder Regarding Discussion List Etiquette
John,
Thanks for reminding us again.
To me, one value of this list is that it brings together people with different kinds of experience and expertise. Most importantly, it brings together teachers and linguists, groups that have much to gain from sharing their perspectives with each other. It is also a place where, historically at least, we have encouraged any and all questions, no matter how naive, from people who would like to take advantage of that expertise and experience. That only happens when the responses are gracious and welcoming.
When the list works well, we are able to entertain more than one perspective on an issue. Lately, that hasn't always been the case.
Even when we believe we have the "right" answer, we should remind ourselves that everyone has the right to weigh in on a topic. It's not just respect for other people as people, but respect for the way that truth develops when we hold back our judgment and listen respectfully to each other. Other lists I am on have a narrower interest base than we have here, and that can create tension, but it can also be a great strength. For me, at least, the highest levels of civility don't always happen without effort, and I have sent posts over the years that would have been better if I had waited a day or so. That seems to me what ethics are about--a call to our better nature.
We all have personal agendas, but the list is not about them, and it is wrong to put the list in jeopardy by insisting on a narrow conversation about a narrow agenda. We have to respect the agenda of the list, a forum for the interchange of ideas about the teaching of grammar.
Craig
And the discussion group gets smaller. We lose members after every other
> exchange it seems these days.
>
> Please, everyone, moderate thyself. We often have entire classes of
> students join our discussion group; these students, ranging from high
> school students to graduate students, often observe only and deserve
> better than what they sometimes get from us. I've been contacted by
> more than one teacher who has expressed disappointment in the amount
> of unprofessional behavior seen on the list at times. I explain to
> them the nature of a public, unmoderated list with the hope that they
> will understand. However, without stating anything as a "rule," let me
> share some common precepts and expectations that make for successful
> listserv groups:
>
> - All those who use this list are expected to maintain quality
> levels of
> professionalism, ethics, decorum and civility regarding postings.
>
> *Postings and Etiquette/Netiquette*
>
> Postings should exhibit the following:
>
> 1. Maturity and tact
> 2. Audience-appropriate language
> 3. Cogency when possible
>
> Avoid posting that can be reasonably described as any of the following:
>
> 1. Libelous
> 2. Defamatory
> 3. Obscene
> 4. Pornographic
> 5. Threatening
> 6. Invasive of privacy
> 7. Abusive
> 8. Illegal
> 9. Constitute or encourage a criminal offense
> 10. Violate the rights of any individual, group or entity
> 11. Create liability
> 12. Copyright infringements
>
> These seem like no-brainers, right? We currently do not moderate or
> censor messages nor do we impose consequences for violations. To do so
> would require interpretation of content, which is subjective. We've
> tried to stay away from this. Please allow us to continue to do so. I
> will be working with ATEG's leadership to review policies for blatant
> offenses such as commercial spam and pornography. I truly hope we
> don't have to expand the policies to encompass more than that.
>
> John Alexander
> ATEG
>
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>
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>
To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
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