Test Equipment Repair and Politeness

[wn1fju]

Is it just me or are people starting to lose their manners?

I have seen an increase in the following:  Someone will create a thread asking for help with the repair of a particular piece.  Often they will ask for voltage or resistance measurements, or perhaps a schematic or two from an unobtainable manual.  A kind soul who happens to have the piece will respond with the answers which often requires a considerable effort such as partially disassembling a piece to get to the measurement point.

Then the thread simply stops.  The original poster doesn't even acknowledge the help he/she has just been given, nor express any kind of gratitude.
Poor manners at best.  I always make a point of thanking anyone who responds to my questions on the forum.

[t0mt0m]

I also hate it when people ask for help but never post if or how they finally fixed their problem.

[tunk]

Agree. The other thing that annoys me is people who (seemingly) hasn't done any homework before posting a question.

[tooki]

Is it just me or are people starting to lose their manners?

I have seen an increase in the following:  …

While these things are annoying, they’ve been a plague of tech fora from the beginning. It’s in no way something new, nor anything where I feel there’s been any change in behavior.

[jonpaul]

The younger generation seldom use courtesy or respect or politeness.

In France Americans are considered rude and impolite as Politesse is very important!

I have received emails asking for a huge favor that read...

Hey Jon, can you get me this (gadget)  Mine was ( stolen, broke, lost)

I do not dishonor myself by responding.

Formalités and mutual respect are essential in professional communication

just the ramblings of an old retired EE

Jon

[Runco990]

I hang out on a few audio forums, as I restore vintage Reel to Reels as a hobby.  This is really common now due to ebay flippers just hoping for a quick fix for their junk to ask MAXIMUM money.

Sad, really.  It's almost not about the hobby any more.  We (the techs on those forums) have become reluctant to help "new" people because of this.  After all, it does take OUR time.

And even IF you just want to fix some gear to flip it, a THANK YOU would be welcomed.

Yep, I'm old..... 

[Bud]

Formalités and mutual respect are essential in professional communication
just the ramblings of an old retired EE

On the other hand, it is Really annoing when a person apologises to you 150 times in a single conversation.

[tooki]

The younger generation seldom use courtesy or respect or politeness.

Perhaps they just have a healthier concept of “respect” than older generations did, which often placed far too much weight on formality and tradition, valuing form more than substance.

Same exact thing as the change in work attire: I think it’s ridiculous to think that only one particular style of dress is “professional”, even though it has nothing to do with ability. Yet that’s how old generations thought. They valued compliance more than skill.

In France Americans are considered rude and impolite as Politesse is very important!

And the French have a huge reputation around the world as rude. (Though it doesn’t agree with my own experiences in France, which have been overwhelmingly positive.)

Have you ever been to USA? It might disavow you of the impression that Americans are rude. I’ve heard from many, many, many Europeans who expected Americans to be rude and instead found them to be polite and friendly. I think people’s biases often color what they perceive in writing. And of course with regards to boorish American tourists (which do exist!), well… the boorish ones stand out. The polite and respectful ones do not.

I have received emails asking for a huge favor that read...

Hey Jon, can you get me this (gadget)  Mine was ( stolen, broke, lost)

The horror! I hope you had a fainting couch upon which to collapse from the utter shock of such insolence!

No, really. You think that is rude? WTF is wrong with you?

I do not dishonor myself by responding.

Insisting on formalities to even get a response is just a sign of someone so insecure that that this is all they have to feel good about, I suppose. Refusing to respond just makes you sound like the butthole, not them. You dishonor yourself by NOT responding.

Also you need to understand that different cultures use language differently. Being direct isn’t a sign of impoliteness in English. And in some cultures, it’s considered rude to waste someone’s time with unnecessary fluff. Heck, we see this even within the USA: just to pick two extremes as examples, Minnesotans are so friendly and polite that New Yorkers get annoyed at them because they spend so much time on niceties. And Minnesotans consider New Yorkers brusque.

Formalités and mutual respect are essential in professional communication

Formalities certainly aren’t essential, and shouldn’t be.

Mutual respect is to a point, and you show a callous LACK of respect by not recognizing the cultural differences in communication styles, instead expecting everyone to conform to YOUR expectations, which they might not even know exist.

I say “to a point” because as a professional, I can absolutely detest someone and have no respect for them whatsoever, yet still do the right thing and do my job. Or I can have no respect for someone on a personal level, but respect their expertise and experience. They’re separate things.

[Black Phoenix]

The younger generation seldom use courtesy or respect or politeness.

Perhaps they just have a healthier concept of “respect” than older generations did, which often placed far too much weight on formality and tradition, valuing form more than substance.

Same exact thing as the change in work attire: I think it’s ridiculous to think that only one particular style of dress is “professional”, even though it has nothing to do with ability. Yet that’s how old generations thought. They valued compliance more than skill.

That's exactly the war I've been fighting for years. How the F how I dress means how knowledge and capable I am?

When I was in telecom I worked with a girl who was probably the best network engineer I worked with. But her chances of progressing were none: she dressed in punk way, was full of tattoos and piercings.

Same way I rebel when I go to work in jeans and a t-shirt. And love to shame/embarass the suited ones when they are talking and basically saying shit.

I was expecting that with people as the late Steve Jobs and the new trend of younger CEOs who don't care how they dress that things would chance for the better, where how you look is not the first thing to consider before you even open your mouth.

May be one day...

[themadhippy]

Same exact thing as the change in work attire: I think it’s ridiculous to think that only one particular style of dress is “professional”, even though it has nothing to do with ability. Yet that’s how old generations thought. They valued compliance more than skill.

Amen brother ,there's a surcharge if you want me suited and booted,and it aint cheap.

[wn1fju]

I practice what I preach!  As the original poster, thanks for all the replies.

[tooki]

I was expecting that with people as the late Steve Jobs and the new trend of younger CEOs who don't care how they dress that things would chance for the better, where how you look is not the first thing to consider before you even open your mouth.

May be one day...

I think it’s indisputable that we have come a long way towards that. I mean, last summer, Air Baltic became the first airline to seriously relax rules on visible tattoos and piercings for flight crews, including flight attendants. This a few years after Bank of America did the same thing. If airlines and banks, two of the most rigid appearance-above-all-else industries, have started to significantly soften, we know we’ve made a lot of progress. But I think it also depends on where you are. I think Asia, where conformity has a higher cultural importance than in the west, is much more reluctant to loosen dress codes.

The way I see it is this: what matters with someone’s appearance and attire is a) are you and your clothes clean, and to a much smaller degree b) does it show some kind of effort (do you look “put together”).

[Black Phoenix]

The way I see it is this: what matters with someone’s appearance and attire is a) are you and your clothes clean, and to a much smaller degree b) does it show some kind of effort (do you look “put together”).

Could not say better.

[oz2cpu]

i love to see more repair threads end with :
problem solved, i did bla bla to solve it..
or i gave up for now, due to this or that..

now the thread is a good look up place for others in the future,
remember what you write here, could potentially be looked up 100 or even 1000 years from now
scarry to think about :-)

THANKS again, to all people who was kind to help me so many times,
i dont get bitter if people forget to say thanks when i help,
but i try very hard to say thanks, and to give feedback about the info i got, helped or not..

marry christmas and love you all, remember the love, forget the hate..