Generosity

23 February 2021: "The solution is less to try to stamp out variation and more to try to exercise the same kind of generosity with each other as my schoolmates unwittingly extended to me in my 'How are you?' 'Not much' experiments. There's enough genuine malice in the world that we don't need to go hunting for more of it in what is truly a case of harmless difference." --Gretchen McCulloch, Because Internet

I finished McCulloch's terrific book just a few minutes ago, and beyond it's wonderful insights about linguistics and the internet, I was continually impressed by her ethos and overall demeanor approaching this topic. Again and again, she encourages openness, generosity, and curiosity over judgement, denigration, and dismissal. It's a wonderful gesture with ramifications well beyond her subject matter.