Flame bait: D vs. Rust vs. Go Benchmarking

[Nick Sabalausky]

On Fri, 26 Jul 2013 12:09:09 +0200
"Joseph Rushton Wakeling" <joseph.wakeling at webdrake.net> wrote:

> On Friday, 26 July 2013 at 08:42:10 UTC, Nick Sabalausky wrote:
> > True, but the quoted examples from the Rust NG looked quite 
> > benign
> > to me. If something as basic as that is deemed "insulting or
> > offensive", then that creates a chilling effect on the ability
> > to express negative opinions.
> 
> 
> Yes, but you are someone who throws around swearwords very 
> clearly. Of course you have a high tolerance for crap! :-)
> 

A fair point ;)

> Not everyone is so thick-skinned, though, and it can create a 
> better collaborative environment if everyone tries to avoid 
> swearwords and pejorative terms (which isn't the same as 
> censoring negative opinions -- in my experience, it helps convey 
> them more effectively because the recipient has fewer grounds to 
> take offence and use that as a reason to dismiss your opinion).

Well, when we start being afraid of people mistaking our objections
against a thing or idea as objections against the person, then that
very much stifles (ie, not eliminates, but strongly reduces) the ability
to meaningfully critique things.

That's why I, for one, make a point - in anything I say or read - to
maintain a strong separation between statements about a thing/idea
versus statements about any person associated with such thing/idea. If
I'm objecting to a person then I'll be clear about it, and I always try
to assume others are *not* talking about actual people unless there's
*very* clear unambiguous reason to believe otherwise. Yes, sometimes
that will lead me to mistake an intended personal attack for a benign
statement, but I say that's a *good* thing - it helps put a wet blanket
over unnecessary potential flame wars.

I really believe that's the only way to foster civility without
hindering meaningful discourse.

And yes, sometimes people *will* mistake something for being more
malicious than it really is and they'll fly off the handle as a result
of their *own* mistaken impression (and I'm not claiming I've never
done that). But that's life, that's going to happen. If we're going to
live our lives in fear of how others might twist things around, or what
they may be offended by, then we may as well never say anything to
anyone because there will *always* be a potential for someone to
offended, or invent reason to be offended, no matter what we say (or
what others will decide to pretend that we said).

And yes, sometimes people *will* mistake something for being more
malicious than it really is and they'll fly off the handle as a result
of their *own* mistaken impression (and I'm not claiming I've never
done that). But that's life, that's going to happen. If we're going to
live our lives in fear of how others might twist things around, or what
they may be offended by, then we may as well never say anything to
anyone because there will *always* be a potential for someone to
offended, or invent reason to be offended, no matter what we say (or
what others will decide to pretend that we said).