Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site unc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!unc!fsks 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 Summary: Followup-To: Distribution: Organization: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Keywords: 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