[Foundation-l] Future board meeting (5-7 april 08)

Thu Apr 10 13:17:47 UTC 2008

On 10/04/2008, Gerard Meijssen <gerard.meijssen at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hoi,
>  When you are part of the board, you can and you should be able to say the
>  harshest things. This is expected of a board member. A non disparagement
>  agreement is meant to keep the noise down when the words are spoken outside
>  of the environment. It does help both a persons personal standing and the
>  standing of the board when people can find it in themselves to be polite and
>  political in how they express themselves.
>
>  I doubt how much (legal) value can or should be given to such a document, it
>  is certainly a great way to point out that a person who is in violation of
>  such an agreement is indeed the arse hole that this behaviour demonstrates.
>
>  *Terms of disparagement* are pejorative words and phrases which are either
>  intended to be or are often regarded as insulting, impolite or unkind.
>
>  Given the definition it is bad behaviour in the first place.. Now what is
>  the problem in stating that you will not behave in an objectionable way in
>  the first place ??

I guess it all depends on exactly what is meant by "disparaging". I
expect the actual agreement was rather more precise than the title.
I'm not sure I quite agree with your definition of disparaging (in
some contexts). The appropriate definition for Wiktionary says:

"To dishonor by a comparison with what is inferior; to lower in rank
or estimation by actions or words; to speak slightingly of; to
depreciate; to undervalue."

If someone is doing something seriously wrong, it would seem
acceptable to me to depreciate them. Whether or not something is
pejorative is extremely subjective. For example, on a Wikipedia talk
page some people told me off for describing someone (primarily a
hypothetical someone, although there were people in the discussion
that I could have meant) as "ignorant". I meant that simply to say
that they lacked the knowledge relevant to the point at hand. As far
as I'm concerned, that's what the word means and I didn't mean it
offensively. Other people, quite understandably, interpreted it
differently. I think it's fair to say I was disparaging them, but
whether or not I was being objectionable depends on who you ask.