Re:
- To: c*@fix.net, m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re:
- From: "* B* <s*@hotmail.com>
- Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 17:27:34 PST
>One of the great things about the Internet is the international
>contributions. But when we do that we must realize that occasionally
>comments from one culture can be magnified in another. Let's live >with
it and when the need arises, explain with a desire to inform, >not to
correct or chastise.
Amen. I read once that culture is not so much a matter of what is said
or done, but what is understood. A word by itself is a sound; the
weight of it depends on the understanding of the speaker and the
recipient, and they can be widely different. Just as it's wise not to
assume that a "lightweight" word is lightweight for other folks, it's
also just as pointless to automatically assume that offense was meant
and launch a counterattack. An accidental slap can hurt as much as an
intentional one of course - but with words we have the choice to react
or hold off for a minute to see what was really meant.
Bob
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