Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site eisx.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxj!houxm!whuxlm!spuxll!eisx!sms From: sms@eisx.UUCP (Samuel Saal) Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish Subject: Mareet Iyeen Message-ID: <838@eisx.UUCP> Date: Thu, 3-Jan-85 11:20:58 EST Article-I.D.: eisx.838 Posted: Thu Jan 3 11:20:58 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 4-Jan-85 00:54:25 EST Organization: AT&T Info. Sys. Labs, South Plainfield NJ Lines: 67 Fellow Jews The title of this posting is called Mareet Iyeen and is my best attempt to transliterate the term. I apologize if it is not the preferred spelling. The point of this posting is as follows. Mareet Iyeen is the law requiring us to be careful of our actions lest they be misconstrued to *appear* wrong even if they were not. For example, one should not go into a McDonalds to buy a Coke while wearing a kippah because some one may not realize that you are not eating there. They may think that because a kippah wearer is going there he is going to eat and a kippah wearer would only eat where it is Kosher and therefore McDonalds is Kosher. The example is contrived and arguable, but I believe it makes the point. Why do I bring this up? I've been reading net.religion .jewish for a while and I find that many of the writers have excellent things to say. However, how they say it leaves much to be desired. My complaint focuses on 2 things: 1. POOR spelling, and 2. personal attacks. The second one has been a problem for a while in many newsgroups. I would like to say that we should set an example and *try* to refrain from these. I won't say it because the very anonymous nature of the net seems to make these attacks easier and more common (also more virulent; I'm sure that a lot of what is being said in writing would *never* be said to a person's face) The first point is really what prompted me to write this. I doubt I would have bothered except that it has become truly distracting from otherwise very informative articles. When you post something, why not proofread it once before posting. There have been some mistakes that people should be embarrassed about. Without mentioning the names of the perpetrators, let me cite 2 examples: - the use of homonyms ("there" when you mean "their" or "they're", etc.) - typos The first type of error will be caught if you proofread before posting. The second type will be caught if you use UNIX's "spell" program (or its equivalent on other systems). This is not too much to ask, I believe, and it would also serve as an example of the calibre of people that I think we are and should attempt to represent. Finally, if people would go through their postings once before sending them it would have an additional benefit: it would force you to read what you've written and consider whether it really is necessary to go through with posting the attack that was written in haste. You won't regret pulling it out. A little musar never hurt any one. Sam Saal ...!ihnp4!eisx!sms