Erik Reuter wrote:
>
> On Sun, Feb 15, 2004 at 04:48:57PM -0600, Julia Thompson wrote:
>
> > It has been my experience that given a choice between one massive
> > hitting-over-the-head kind of confrontation
>
> Although that would be an exaggeration of what I am talking about...
Yes, but in conversation, that's what it can feel like if you're on the
receiving end of it.
> > and much gentler prods over the course of 6 months or so, the gentler
> > prods will have caused more of a change in mindset 12 months after the
> > initial event.
>
> On an email list? I can't imagine that working on an email list.
But being in-your-face on an e-mail list doesn't work well, either.
If I make 50 posts in a 6-month period that touch on X, and someone is
opposed to my position on X, there's a better chance that I'll at least
get that person to think about their own position, if not modify it a
bit, than if I write one post saying that their position on X is wrong,
offensive or intolerable.
That sort of thing has worked on *me*, at least in getting me to think
about my position. And I've had my positioned changed at least somewhat
as a result.
> > Now, my experience on this is limited to probably only about 50
> > people I've been in close contact with over the course of my life,
> > but it turned out to be just as good a tactic in dealing with the
> > cynical engineer as it was in dealing with the somewhat scatterbrained
> > artiste.
>
> So, not on an email list? I think there is quite a difference between an
> email list and people you have close contact with in daily life.
It's worked on *me*, at least to some degree. I think that if you ask
around, you'll find that it's worked to a greater or lesser degree on
some other folks here. (Of course, I could be wrong on this.)
Julia
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