Date:         Tue, 6 Jan 2004 18:13:05 -0800
Reply-To:     Don STanley <don.stanley@NBNZ.CO.NZ>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Don STanley <don.stanley@NBNZ.CO.NZ>
Organization: http://groups.google.com
Subject:      Re: SAS-L Panel / Kind and Gentle, or Not
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

This is a rather interesting thread. SAS-l is an extremely culturally
diverse group, and I long ago concluded that deliberate attempts at
rudeness were so rare as to be non-existent in gte overall context of
the thousands of posts that get made each year. I also concluded that
many posts could come across as rude, but in fact cultural and
regional differences needed to be understood before making that
judgement. When I started going to SUGI's and meeting some of the
SAS-l people, perceptions were changed, theres nothing like meeting
face to face to correct assumptions about people.

As someone I met through SAS-L and is now a good friend once told me,
"Hey I'm from New York, I don't know I'm being rude, or abrupt or
anything else, thats just how we are". I haven't yet met all New
Yorkers, but I've no reason to doubt his analysis.

I think people are entitled to be a bit rude when students ask for
help on the list with their homework. But this list is generally
anything but rude for serious posters, maybe a bit blunt sometimes but
thats email at work. The sheer range of job roles using SAS, and the
international nature of people regularly on this list, probably help
keep things a bit pleasanter than other groups. For instance the PERL
group is highly geek-centric, and people who they think haven't gone
through the geek appenticeship appear there to be abused. SAS-L isn't
geek-centric, and those of us who are a bit geekish seem to have
plenty of respect for others. Perhaps thats because many SAS coders
work with non techies on a day by day basis, while PERL, C etc people
live on a geek planet.

As far as ego is concerned, who cares. Many of us are egotistical by
nature, but that doesn't automatically imply anything bad. The most
egotistical person on this group in my opinion is also one of the most
helpful, and I often find his posts amusing as well as useful.

The group exists to share knowledge and resolve posters problems. It
meets those needs without any great issues arising imo.

Bah. I'm obviously running short of work today.
Don