3 ms·

> American corporations do make people do some incredible bullshit, but nothing on the level of the official greeting he mentioned. While I agree that the way

> American corporations do make people do some incredible bullshit, but nothing on the level of the official greeting he mentioned. While I agree that the way they shout good morning might be a bit strange, it does make sense. It makes everyone more polite, instead of rude. And speaking of politeness, Americans are way too informal compared to other cultures. As for greetings, I hate the "How do you do?" question which I think is pretty stupid/useless as this video shows - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p8u2LSyEwc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p8u2LSyEwc

barrkel 17y ago
What pathology do you ascribe to lack of formality? What practical problems does it cause, outside of seeming odd / stupid / useless to those less familiar with it? Excessive formality, on the other hand, has been implicated in e.g. plane crashes, where inferiors hesitate to criticize their superiors when they may have made a mistake.
- ciupicri 17y ago
  I find it funny that you talk about plane crashes given the fact that the Japanese army used kamikazes in WWII, although in that case there was not a mistake. Lack of formality does not necessarily imply practical problems, it's mostly about respect. As for rules in general, let's also look at HN where you can't complain about a submission, you can only flag it. I think you'll agree with me when I say that this rule is a bit odd for a Reddit user.
  - barrkel 17y ago
    I'm not sure I could agree with you that kamikaze pilots were not a mistake. There are worse things than losing wars - losing your humanity, for one. Reddit, on the other hand, does not fare well in a comparison with HN, for my money. But I don't necessarily see a strong connection between formality and civility. One can be most uncivil even in the most stilted of tones.

3 ms·

> American corporations do make people do some incredible bullshit, but nothing on the level of the official greeting he mentioned. While I agree that the way

by ciupicri 17y ago

barrkel 17y ago
What pathology do you ascribe to lack of formality? What practical problems does it cause, outside of seeming odd / stupid / useless to those less familiar with it? Excessive formality, on the other hand, has been implicated in e.g. plane crashes, where inferiors hesitate to criticize their superiors when they may have made a mistake.
- ciupicri 17y ago
  I find it funny that you talk about plane crashes given the fact that the Japanese army used kamikazes in WWII, although in that case there was not a mistake. Lack of formality does not necessarily imply practical problems, it's mostly about respect. As for rules in general, let's also look at HN where you can't complain about a submission, you can only flag it. I think you'll agree with me when I say that this rule is a bit odd for a Reddit user.
  - barrkel 17y ago
    I'm not sure I could agree with you that kamikaze pilots were not a mistake. There are worse things than losing wars - losing your humanity, for one. Reddit, on the other hand, does not fare well in a comparison with HN, for my money. But I don't necessarily see a strong connection between formality and civility. One can be most uncivil even in the most stilted of tones.