Posted by alexandra_k on May 23, 2005, at 15:31:49
In reply to Re: or.... » Dinah, posted by so on May 23, 2005, at 15:03:14
>Then they go about justifying their mistaken rules, and start to engage others in supporting their mistake as if it were the best possible outcome.
From my experience I have found Dr Bob willing to admit when he has made a mistake. To reverse a decision even.
>"Please be civil". What more evidence do we need than the statement itself? Either civility is what Robert Hsiung says it is, or it is a broader concept owned by society at large, which in this case does not always or even often align with expecations of his implicit terms of service.One word, one meaning, but the behaviours that are considered civil and uncivil varies as a function of context. Just like RL where what is considered appropriate in church may well be different from what is considered appropriate down at the pub.
>Requesting that a person be civil implies that they have not been.
I wondered about that too…
But I was led to the conclusion that asking someone to be civil does not imply that they have been uncivil.
I wish I could find that post again…
>Does not the statement "Please wash your hands" imply that hands are unwashed and unclean?
No, it doesn’t. It might most often occur when the hearer does in fact have dirty hands, but it isn’t part of the dennotation of the utterance. It would be perfectly meaningful to say ‘please wash your hands’ to someone who had just washed them. They might protest ‘but I’ve just washed them’ but the point is that the utterance is perfectly meaningful. In fact, the utterance is a request. It doesn’t imply anything about the hearer at all. It isn’t making a claim about them it is simply asking them to do something. The reasons why the speaker made such a request might be a matter of interpretation…
>I simply don't appreciate being called uncivilized
Then you will be pleased to know that you weren’t.
I'm really thinking that there is a whole heap more to this than I know about...
You seem to be feeling hurt by past treatment here.
It is hard for us to try to understand and to help without having more of an understanding about what is going on for you.
Otherwise... I guess we might just end up going round in circles never really getting to the heart of the issue.
It seems to me... To be something about the civility rules. It is a shame that you don't want to discuss them with me anymore :-)
poster:alexandra_k
thread:491889
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20050517/msgs/501799.html