Re: [-empyre-] From lurking, to launching in....

[isabel saij <info@saij-netart.net>]

Hi Melinda, Charlotte, Nancy and everyone,

Before bringing some remarks about "lurking", a word regarding empyre.
I follow the discussions with interest, because of the quality of the 
exchanges,
something I can't find on french mailing lists. The discussions in a 
contradictory way
are not possible. After 4, 5, 6 posts you get:
-insults and/or
-censorship
So thanks to everyone writing here for debating with ideas, opinions,...
The fact I'm french is the starting point for some remarks about the 
reasons
why I'm often lurking.
Before to write a message I've to overcome 2 difficulties:
-the language
-the culture
To undestand english is not sufficient to communicate efficiently or 
precisely.
The discourse is always based on a "deep" culture, the culture you 
don't even
know because you're born in and living with. Though british, american, 
australian,...
people are different they have some common roots.
I speak here with my own experience: I live since 22 years in Austria 
and
I also spent the 4 last years commuting between Germany and Austria.
To write in german is not a problem, but to master the other level, the 
deep
cultural one is much more diffcult: it takes years to get the codes to 
have the
"correct" behaviour with natives (correct means here that people forget 
you're
a foreigner)
As I've never lived in an english speaking country I know in reference 
with my
german experience all what I miss. (I hope to get soon an opportunity 
to travel
to an english speaking country as well to improve my english as to 
approach
the culture, the social life,...)
By the way babies are lurking (ie listening and looking at): that's the 
way
to learn language!
So I belong to the minority (majority in absolute number): english is 
neither my
native tongue, nor the language used in the country where I live.

The question of minority is also an interesting point: gender, 
ethnicity, nationality,...
One example: somebody of a minority living in USA, UK,...discussing 
about:
a)the problems of being a member of the minority. Probably the 
intensity of the writing,
the emotions will be very high if the person is suffering from the 
situation.
b)a professional topic, with all the background requested.
The message will be more technical.
If I read the second message and have no indication about who write it,
I'm facing the situation to read something written with the dominant 
language
and culture. (I don't credit bad intention to my fictive writer of 
course
That's only the way it is)
The boarders are blurred: majority/minority, 
globalization/standardization,...!!!

Other considerations: each of us has a different life:  mix of place of 
birth, of education,
personal situation(s) and experiences. This unicity should be considered
permanently to avoid stupid categorization(s)/exclusion(s).

Simply take the other(s) as human being(s).
In our field the term "interdisciplinary" is often used for 
technical/professional exchange.
I would like to ask everyone: how interdisciplinary are we ourself? I 
mean here:
do we speak foreign languages?, what is/are our formation(s)? have we 
practised
several professions? have we experienced exclusion, mobbing? are we 
prepared
to learn and learn again, to listen carefully to others, to protest 
loudly against or act
resolutely for something ? ...

That's how I try to develop my understanding and to be prepared for 
confrontations.
And confrontation is always better as silence or no-response which 
often comes
from those who are really afraid!

Best

Isabel

Isabel Saij
Contributor of netartreview