I think people should be nicer to each other. I think the root of the problem with the Orth tweets is that they weren't very nice, they were flippant and condescending ("deal with it", "why would anyone live there?"). I don't think he started from the assumption that people were legitimately upset, had real concerns. I think he mostly jumped to conclusions about others without giving them a fair shake.
I think Arthur's attitude on twitter is generally pretty poor and rude to others, and I think his ongoing campaign to complain about GAF rather than engage in constructive discussion is pretty rude--he has an account and can easily defend himself here or make an affirmative case for his words instead of sniping. I think most of the times where he's faced criticism here, even rude criticism or sometimes insults, it's been as a result of statements he's made that have been rude or judgmental or flippant.
I think the schadenfreude here and on many forums towards people in the industry is a mean at times. I think gravedancing in general is pretty crass, even if in some cases it is understandable. It'd be a better world if more people were happy and nicer to each other, and that has to start by being nice to people who aren't very nice. I think if someone is a negative influence in your life or you think they're a big jerk and a blowhard, you'll be happy if you learn to ignore them or go beyond them, you'll be happier. Worse than people who are bad influences and who generate unhappiness are people who relish getting angry at them rather than learning to let go and move on.
I think empathy and modesty go hand-in-hand, and starting from a modest perspective makes it easier to empathize with others. It also functions as a great way of keeping a check on yourself, because if you're modest, chances are you'll be more able to understand when someone calls attention to mistakes you've made. I think having a personal filter and being able to self-censor and choosing to do so at times where your meanest, cruelest, rudest, or most judgmental instincts surface is a good thing. For the most part, there's a calmer, less rude way of obtaining the result you're hoping to maintain and for the most part, the person you're being rude to is probably not at their best either and if you give them the chance to calm down and articulate themselves a little better, they will.
I think you can be passionately convinced of something, and deliver pointed (and even personal!) criticism about something or someone, but in general conversations should start with empathy, the presumption of good faith, and trying to understand how someone's assumptions lead to their conclusions (even if you disagree with them). And if someone squanders that presumption of good faith, and defies even extraordinary attempts to empathize with them, and makes themselves visible in a way that you could never, ever ignore them, then whatever anger you feel at them will be justified in the end because you know you've done your best to give them a chance to explain themselves.
I don't think very many people come off very well in all this.
This is horrible. Keep your head up Orth.
