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From: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
Newsgroups: net.singles,net.flame
Subject: Re: Intelligence?
Message-ID: <541@unc.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 4-Jul-85 15:35:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: unc.541
Posted: Thu Jul  4 15:35:37 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 7-Jul-85 06:26:04 EDT
References:  <503@unc.UUCP> 
Reply-To: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
Organization: CS Dept., U. of N. Carolina at Chapel Hill
Lines: 58
Xref: watmath net.singles:7670 net.flame:11019
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Organization: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
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In article  moiram@tektronix.UUCP (Moira Mallison ) writes:

>>> Isaac Dimitrovsky:
>>>Very few things irritate me more than people who don't say what they mean
>>>as clearly as possible, especially if they appear to be generating this
>>>confusion on purpose (this is not to say that I never do this - when I do,
>>>I get irritated with myself :-).
>>>It seems to me that intelligent people, especially ones in academics,
>>>are more prone to sloppy, obscure speech than the general population,

>>  Frank Silbermann:
>>Only inferior people are prone to sloppy, obscure writing.
>>They do this to hide the triviality of their ideas.

>   Moira Mallison:
>Frank, when you spout forth with these arrogant judgemental statements,
>I feel irritated, and I want to discount everything you have to say.

	Note that in the posting you quote, I admitted that sloppy, obscure
	writing is not necessarily due to incompetence.  It can also result
	when the writer has no consideration or sympathy for the reader.

>   Moira Mallison:
>Clear communication is really just a matter of education.

	Yes, it requires a high school education (something that many
	college graduates apparently lack).  Besides that, all it requires
	is the INTENTION to write clearly.

>   Moira Mallison:
>Unfortunately, too few people appreciate the value of communication
>skills,

	Communication skills HAVE NO VALUE to someone who doesn't care
	what pointless difficulties he causes for his readers.

>or how much *practice* it takes to develop them.

	How much practice does it take to ask yourself, "What is the single,
	central purpose behind this paragraph | section | chapter | subroutine?
	How difficult is it to change sentences from passive to active voice
	in cases where passive voice is not required?
	How much practice is required to write "use" instead of "utilize"?
	Or "now" instead of "at this point in time"?
	Especially considering that lists of these and other common
	verbal atrocities are readily available.

	I admit the difficulty in writing spell-binding or humorous prose.
	But almost anyone can learn to write adequately merely by mechanically
	following the few simple rules which can be found in Stunk & White's
	tiny paperback, "The Elements of Style".

		Frank Silbermann