For the Sake of Newbies

["Cook, Jenise" <jenise -dot- cook-crabbe -at- pacificlife -dot- com>]

<Coming out of lurk mode>
Eric: Thank you for your wonderful response to all the posts regarding
Andrew Plato's departure. As a great fan of Andrew, I say "Here, here!"

I don't post to the list often because I don't work in the software or
hardware industries. My workday issues are quite a bit different from those
who make up the majority of this list. When I have posted responses, I've
received warm comments from list members thanking me, especially from the
newbies. I do try and welcome and help our newbies, while a small minority
have personally attacked them.

So, I'm taking a risk now to send a post that might not generate warm
responses. I, too, am sad at Andrew's chosen departure. Eric, in one of your
paragraphs you said...
For all of you who have seen fit to harass Andrew (publicly or privately), I
do hope you feel good about your role in silencing his voice. Unfortunately,
I think that the only abiding lesson that the community will learn from this
is that the community can be sanitized from dissenting opinions through
sufficient effort, complaining, and offline harassment. As a result, the
next person who dares to challenge the status quo will have a harder time of
it, and the community and profession will be worse off for it.

I'm a Tech. Writer in the United States, which casts a certain color on my
belief system and the opinions I'll express. I've had it drummed into my
head all of my life that we are "E Pluribus Unum", and that we have 1st
Amendment Rights to free speech.

Therefore, I have three thoughts, and then I'll "get back to work, me."

==First, the members of Techwr-L do not have the "power" to silence anyone's
voice. Again, I really enjoyed Andrew's role on the list, however his
leaving is his choice. I do understand that he hasn't done tech. writing for
a year and is focusing on network security (a wise choice). That's good
enough reason to leave a resource and seek another. However, I am
disappointed in him that he has chosen to allow dissenting voices to silence
his. I hope our newbies do not follow his example.

==Second, I, for one, will not learn this "abiding lesson" that our list
"can be sanitized from dissenting opinions." And, I encourage our newbies
not to learn it, either. Whenever I respond personally to those new to the
list, I always mention that a very small minority of list members might be
unkind in their responses. I tell newbies to ignore those people and just
enjoy the benefits of the list. So, newbies... post your messages, and
ignore those who personally attack you.

Our list has thrived on differing opinions. We must see that a hearty
discussion of ideas continues. If you disagree with someone, and wish to
spend time defending your position and personally attacking the individual,
do it off list.

==Third, I also feel that some members of this list, including newbies, need
to develop a thicker skin. Dissent over ideas and methodologies can, as Eric
said, help us examine our approaches to tech. writing, and see if what works
for someone else may work for me. Life is too short to get sensitive and
defensive about someone else's response to your message.

So, go ahead and flame me, some of you. I don't care. I love this list as it
has contributed significantly to my career. Your voice does not have the
power to silence mine. During the 1700s, my hero William Wilberforce's voice
spoke for over 50 years against Britain's role in the African slave trade.
He finally saw victory in the House of Commons and the House of Lords. He
died a few weeks later. He mentors me, still, from his grave.

If ever I leave the list, it will be because (a) I died, (b) I no longer can
access the Internet, or (c) I chose a new profession and no longer need the
list's terrific resources. Not because dissenting voices silenced mine. And,
I'd leave quietly.

Now, back to work, me.<Going back into lurk mode>

Bcc: A. Plato

Jenise Cook-Crabbe,
Sr. Technical Writer
(Opinions expressed are 100%
my own, and not my employer's;
no, not at all)
  Sitting silently,
Doing nothing
  Spring comes,
And the grass grows by itself
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spring haiku by
Osho





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