Precisely. The reality of communication, particularly communication with strangers, is that you MUST assume that what you say will be taken literally. And if you say something that, taken literally, is offensive, /you/ are responsible for giving offense, not the person who misunderstood your intent. Of course we all can stand to be careful not to needlessly take offense, and of course we all want to think of each other as friends who understand each other.
But in order for a diverse community to be inclusive, certain best practices must be followed. One of these is: always speak literally. Never try to convey information ironically. That may be how you interact with your friends, and that's fine. But this is a professional organization that does work, not a kaffeeklatsch where we hang out for pleasure. Even if you may come here because you enjoy it, assuming that this is the case for everyone else is harmful to the organization.
To put the finest possible point on it, remember that the people you will exclude are precisely those who do not know you, and don't know whether or not you intend what you say literally. The people you work with daily will probably understand that you are using irony. They are not the audience to whom you need to cater. It's the newcomers you have to consider.
On Fri, Oct 7, 2022 at 10:04 AM Richard Barnes <rlb@xxxxxx> wrote:
--On Fri, Oct 7, 2022 at 9:48 AM John C Klensin <john-ietf@xxxxxxx> wrote:
--On Friday, October 7, 2022 10:50 +0100 Jay Daley
<exec-director@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
>...
> Dan however did not introduce it for any serious debate or
> other genuine contribution, he did so solely for the purpose
> of belittling and ridiculing it.
Jay,
While agreeing that his statement was extremely distasteful and
unhelpful and without necessarily disagreeing with either your
overall conclusions or reasoning, how can you be sure you
understood Dan's motivations?This philosophical digression isn't helpful, John. What matters isn't what is in Dan's innermost heart, but the effect his comments have on his colleagues and the community.--Richard
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