Listening respectfully to each other helps a lot. Making extreme
statements, focusing on someone's extreme statements, taking things
out of context, and twisting or obscuring difficult facts do not help.
We cannot develop such a system without the participation of farmers,
agricultural researchers, ecologists, people who eat, ... Focusing
on the positive aspects of what people say promotes trust and respect.
It moves the discussions toward possible areas of agreement. Silencing
people who say things that make oneself uncomfortable by 'ad hominem'
attacks does not help.
We create a positive atmosphere for discussions by beginning to do it,
not by putting the last guy in her/his place.
Tom
Tom Hodges, Cropping Systems Modeler
USDA-ARS email: thodges@beta.tricity.wsu.edu
24106 N Bunn Road voice: 509-786-9207
Prosser, WA 99350 USA Fax: 509-786-9370, 509-786-9277
== HomePage http://www.tricity.wsu.edu/htmls/hodges ==
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If this represents anything, it is only my opinion.
On 14 Dec 1995, Mac Horton wrote:
> Finally, the system has to be fair. It cannot impose an undue burden of
> either risk or expense on any one portion of the population, or allow the
> transfer of risk from one place to another without fully informed consent. It
> cannot, for example, expect private landowners to carry the full cost of
> species protection, nor can it expect farm workers or people living near
> industrial plants to suffer inordinate risks for the economic benefit of the
> general population." (From P&TCN, Vol. 23, No. 52)