3 ms·

Being tactful with someone who is wasting your time just ends up wasting two people's time.

• crux_ 16y ago
  And a rude response isn't wasting two peoples' time as well?
  • Twisol 16y ago
    I suppose you don't have to put as much thought into being rude. The first thing that pops into my mind is usually the most frank.
  • jrockway 16y ago
    No, because now it's clear to the "journalist" that she's not going to get a quote from Apple. No reply would leave her wondering. "Please leave us alone" doesn't.
    • crux_ 16y ago
      By the original metric of "number of people's time wasted," no reply at all wins. (Side note: I'm quite certain the rude reply has wasted a decent amount of some poor Apple PR folks' time as well, if only in weekend monitoring of the 'story' to make sure it doesn't need an official clarification -- making it at least 3 peoples' time wasted.)
      • jrockway 16y ago
        Probably not. I bet Steve Jobs could punch an average iPhone user in the face and that user would not cancel his iPhone contract or stop buying stuff from iTunes. People love Apple.
  • auxbuss 16y ago
    Terse != rude It might appear that way when your expectation is a reasoned response, but sometimes terse succinctly makes the point.