> Your brother scenario is silly. Sure, analogies are pretty flawed usually. I sort of regret typing it. Let's get back to Linus. What's the difference between

> Your brother scenario is silly. Sure, analogies are pretty flawed usually. I sort of regret typing it. Let's get back to Linus. What's the difference between: (a) A person staying respectful in their emails because it is natural and effortless for him --and-- (b) Linus staying respectful in his emails because he's putting in conscious effort to stay respectful I would argue that there's no difference! Because it's never 100% natural for anybody; it always requires some effort even if it's easier for some of us than others. I think we would all agree that (b) would be creepy IF Linus was being deceptively nice for some sort of dubious or dishonest reason. Like a con artist trying to develop bonds so they can rob you or something. But, that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm taking him at his word here, but all indications are that Linus is just trying to get better at treating people respectfully because he thinks it's the right thing to do.