RE: Rules not to call me a dummy

From: Eugene Matusov (ematusov@udel.edu)
Date: Sat Feb 26 2000 - 09:24:00 PST


Dear Tatiana--

Thanks for the wonderful translation! What are you doing? Where are you?
What is area of your interests and what led you to xmca?

Eugene

> -----Original Message-----
> From: sazonova [mailto:sazon@kursknet.ru]
> Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2000 5:58 AM
> To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> Subject: Re: Rules not to call me a dummy
>
>
> Hi, Eugene
>
> That's a challenge. I've never done such things before, but I'll make a
> try.
>
> "We don't have the power to hear
> Our words echoing in other minds and souls, --
> And Lord gives us the gift of compassion
> As He gives His amazing Grace."
> F.I.Tyutchev
>
> Does it make any sense to an American ear?
> A French poet who translated A. Pushkin's verses once said “ To
> read poetry
> in translation is just the same as to contemplate the corpse of a
> beautiful
> woman: the body is still here but the soul has already gone”
> Russian psycholinguists like to reffer to the first lines of this
> poem when
> discussing the theory of word meaning.
>
> And thank you, Eugene, for pleasant moments I had translating the poem and
> for helping me to break my silence.
>
>
> Tatiana
>
> ----------
> > От: Eugene Matusov <ematusov@udel.edu>
> > Кому: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > Тема: RE: Rules not to call me a dummy
> > Дата: 25 февраля 2000 г. 18:45
> >
> > Hi Tatyana and everybody--
> >
> > You asked
> > > P.S. Eugene, would you mind such a variant " We can't foresee how our
> word
> > > will echo in your souls"?
> >
> > Sure -- I like it alot! Can you provide the entire poem in English,
> please,
> > so other xmca-ers can appreciate? As Rachel correctly pointed out, it is
> > Tutchev's poem (below the poem in Russian fonts),
> >
> > ??? ?? ???? ???????????,
> > ??? ???? ????? ?????????,--
> > ? ??? ?????????? ??????,
> > ??? ??? ?????? ?????????....
> >
> > 27 ??????? 1869.
> >
> > Tatyana wrote,
> > > I once read somewhere, that it is impossible to hurt somebody until
> s/he
> > > wants to be hurt. It's kind of exaggeration, of couse,still...
> >
> > I think that although it may be true in some (I'd say very rare)
> > circumstances but it can be a very dangerous statement blaming a victim
> of
> > violence for inviting/provoking the violence.
> >
> > >I would
> > > never believe that people gathered om XMCA-list wanted
> deliberatly hurt
> or
> > > offend somebody.
> >
> > Me neither. However, sometimes some considerations in debates can take
> over
> > concerns about other people well-being. For example, to win an
> intellectual
> > argument, I may cross line of respectful disagreement with my
> opponent by
> > mocking his/her point or making some inappropriate personal remarks.
> > Academic (and non-academic) debate such an interesting and strange
> > discourse. Sometimes it implies that truth and happiness will
> come to the
> > Earth if only people with whom I disagree (and, thus, who are obviously
> > wrong or even evil :-) disappear. There is nothing far from the truth as
> we
> > now know from the history of totalitarian regimes.
> >
> > >Friendly teasing is a way to provoke further discussion
> > > and sometimes even rudeness is meant to attract attention.
> >
> > Sure. What is allowed among friends is not allowed among strangers (or
> just
> > non-friends). One Russian (i.e., Russian-Russian) colleague of
> mine (as a
> > Russian Jew) complained that he was called Anti-Semite for
> telling a joke
> > about Jews that he overheard in a company of Russian Jews. Many black
> people
> > in US use n... word but would strongly object non-black people using it
> > (unless they are very close friends, probably).
> >
> > >One should only
> > > believe that it was not aimed at him/her personally and s/he
> won't feel
> > > offended.
> >
> > I wish it always worked...
> >
> > >And I know that scientists and teachers are very vulnerable
> > > people.
> >
> > Some time ago, Dianne made a sad joke (maybe it was not a joke?!) that
> all
> > academicians are dysfunctional in their/our own way. My first reaction
> was a
> > strong protest but after careful observation on myself and ... Oh yes,
> we
> > are vulnerable (Dianne, I like better the word "vulnerable" than
> > "dysfunctional :-)
> >
> > What do you think?
> >
> > Eugene
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: sazonova [mailto:sazon@kursknet.ru]
> > > Sent: Friday, February 25, 2000 12:58 AM
> > > To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > > Subject: Re: Rules not to call me a dummy
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Eugene Matusov wrote:
> > >
> > > > However, I do not believe that rules prevent from hurting
> > > others and from
> > > > being hurt. Moreover, there is no way for me to make sure that my
> > > postings
> > > > won't hurt somebody.
> > >
> > > I once read somewhere, that it is impossible to hurt somebody untill
> s/he
> > > wants to be hurt. It's kind of exaggeration, of couse,still... I would
> > > never believe that people gathered om XMCA-list wanted
> deliberatly hurt
> or
> > > offend somebody. Friendly teasing is a way to provoke further
> discussion
> > > and sometimes even rudeness is meant to attract attention. One should
> only
> > > believe that it was not aimed at him/her personnaly and s/he
> won't feel
> > > offended. And I know that scientists and teachers are very vulnerable
> > > people.
> > >
> > > Tatiana Sazonova
> > >
> > >
> > > P.S. Eugene, would you mind such a variant " We can't foresee how our
> word
> > > will echo in your souls"?
> > >
> > >



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