Civility and Communication

[Timothy C. May]

Bonnie Surfus wrote:

> No one here deserves this.  This is a bunch of people taking up free time 
> to talk about some books.  Naturally, we disagree.  But this kind of 
> crap (no pun) is both offensive and counterproductive.  Can we please try 
> some deep-breathing?  I, like everyone else here, am certainly not 
> in need of any more stress.  I don't want to make enemies.  I apologize 
> if anything I've said has offended you.  I only meant to make a general 
> nod to courtesy.

I heartily agree with Bonnie, and others, who strive to actually
communicate and are nearly invariably polite.

I think I've only been "impolite" to one member of this list, Mr.
Koopman, and that was only after seeing 30 or 50 or more of his
incomprehensible posts, which I assume others had the same problems
understanding, as I rarely (if ever) saw others responding to.

Pynchon is, to me, fun. I'm not sure this list is. Cleverness is fine,
but it wears thin after a while. I wish I could say "I _knew_ Joyce,
and Koopman, you're no Joyce!," but such is obviously not the case for
any of us now on this list.

(What I know of Joyce comes from a friend of mine, who wrote with Shea
about the Illuminati, and so I apologize for any Joycean errors.)

--Tim


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