OT Why is everyone so grouchy?

[Paul Howarth]

Thomas Cameron wrote:
> It's the anonymity of the keyboard.
> 
> Example - A list member is in the store and someone walks up and asks
> "Do you know where the tomatoes are at?"  I can't imagine that list
> member would yell so everyone in the store could hear "What are you,
> STUPID?!?  Don't you know that you don't end a sentence with a
> preposition?  And besides, the store map is right up there at the front
> of the store - look there for for where the tomatoes are!  SHEESH, the
> NERVE of some people!!!"
> 
> But that same list member, cozy behind their keyboard, will publicly
> shred some poor newbie for top posting, posting in HTML, posting a
> question about something that has been asked before or some other
> alleged breach of "netiquette."  Never mind that in almost every case,
> the person posting is asking for help and is so new that they couldn't
> possibly know about "the rules."  I mean, come on - do these self-
> appointed "list police" really think that they are helping in any
> constructive way?

...

> Now let's please get back to helping each other with Fedora issues, not
> flaming each other over everything else, OK?

I agree with most of this (and let's please lose the politics too whilst we're 
at it), but netiquette is there for a reason and I don't see any harm in 
explaining that to people, whilst *also* trying to help them with their query 
at the same time. That way, they feel OK because they're getting the help and 
may be more receptive to the netiquette advice. Which is good, isn't it?

Paul.