Request for calm discussion, please
Everyone:
As we've seen many times in the last 25 years or so: Contentious discussions
are easy to start and hard to stop.
Online arguments are hard to contain. It is very easy indeed to upset somebody
- to push their buttons - so that they either crumple and fold up or react
angrily and instinctively to something written.
It is also very easy indeed to get sucked into a whirlpool of ideas and
emotion and react immediately without thinking through the best ways to get
points across in a calm, well-phrased and polite way.
It's a very human failing to just pitch in and get involved in a two or three
person fight because you feel that somebody is behaving wrongly towards you
and not listening to you or your point of view.
This is very natural online because it's hard to read context and intent: you
say things you wouldn't say in person to each other.
[And of course the obligatory xkcd - https://xkcd.com/386/ ]
The issues we see reflected on other Debian lists and in other media are
continuing to spill over into anger and argument. Please try not to encourage
them here and do not start your own further arguments - now is really not
the time and it detracts from building relations and making a tense
environment better.
If anyone has any problems about what I have written or complaints against
any individual for acting against the Debian code of conduct - please email
community@debian.org
Andy Cater
For the Community Team
Reply to: