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8.11.2004
Often times, more often than I care for, I am reminded that human communication is a messy and inexact process. How many times have you scrupulously crafted an arguement only to have someone shoot back a retort that completely misses the point and shows only the barest understanding of the issue being discussed? Too often. I love debate. I really enjoy talking through issues. I learn more, and my opinions become more refined. I become... smarter by engaging in a good debate. Sometimes, for the sake of moving a discussion forward it might be necessary for someone to "play devil's advocate". Now, when this is done, it is NOT good form to launch into an ad hominom attack on that person. Instead, refute their case with evidence and logic. We should recognize that words have connotations: associations and implications that go beyond a word’s literal meanings. What this means is that when one person is referring to someone as strong or weak, they may be talking strictly in terms of power relationships or they may be making value judgements. You can determine the usage by the context. In an academic essay strong/weak would be terms of relative power, not value judgements. In an editorial it would be the other way around. We should recognize the limitation of a medium as well. Too often I realize, sometimes too late, that sarcasm in text just sounds mean when not accompanied by the tell-tale physical cues that are present in real face to face conversations. Sometimes in face to face conversation there is too much weight given to people that are able to put forth their arguement in a more forceful, or loud, manner. We should recognize that not everyone is as adept at communcating as others. I am not trained to be a communicator. I have a few English courses and some basic skills under my belt but hardly enough to fell like I have a complete grasp of the language. I do what I can and rely on my reader's generosity to get me through. Of course, I may be all wrong. I am amazed at the ease with which some writers can express themselves in creative and coloful ways. But mastering communications is not simply a matter of employing the process of trasferring your thoughts to the page, its also about applying your own human experience into undestanding what another person is trying to say to you. This can be difficult. Relationships have ended, friendships thrown away and wars started because of misunderstandings. So its best to assume that if something doesn't sound "right" or consistent with what you know about a person, you should ask them to explain what they mean in more detail. |
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