#politeness — Public Fediverse posts

A quotation from Samuel Johnson

When once the forms of civility are violated, there remains little hope of return to kindness or decency.

Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
Essay (1750-09-25), The Rambler, No. 50

More about this quote: wist.info/johnson-samuel/36329…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #samueljohnson #civility #customs #impoliteness #incivility #meme #morals #mores #politeness #rudeness

I’m not a bad person!

https://cynnisblog.wordpress.com/2026/09/16/im-not-a-bad-person/

Don't be a meat proxy: A coinage for a type of bad behavior, where someone just forwards you a giant wodge of AI-generated text.
https://gruhn.me/blog/2026-08-03/
#socialmedia #politeness #llm #ai #+

"Insisting that partisans be polite, moderate, reasonable and friendly would actually serve to exclude marginalised political voices. It could do so in two ways:
• First, there was the problem of gatekeeping. […]
• [Second] problem: voices at the margins of politics had special cause to be righteous and zealous. On important issues – such as the equality of the sexes – it would not do to remain polite or seek a moderate compromise."

Geertje Bol: https://aeon.co/essays/polite-debate-has-privilege-the-marginalised-need-zealotry

#liberals #civility #respectabilityPolitics #respectability #politeness #partisanship #parties #history #England #feminism #privilege #politicalTheory

I was very happy to be invited to play on the #kvindelig stage at #sydhavnensfestival in #Arhus in #Denmark last weekend. Here are some images captured on the day -

#harshnoise #politeness #dretskivor

A quotation from George Herbert

                                           A civil guest
Will no more talk all, than eat all, the feast.

George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh priest, orator, poet.
Poem (1614), “The Church-Porch,” ll. 305-306, The Temple (1633)

More about this quote: wist.info/herbert-george/85527…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #georgeherbert #breeding #civility #conversation #guest #hospitality #monologue #politeness #talking

@mdione Please? The quote is from today’s Guardian where I think there is a reference to the research. #Politeness #Courtesy

@hacks4pancakes
Lots of folks might not realize that any job/gig where you interact with others has a very real “ #CustomerService “ component.

I do tech kinda stuff for my “day job” and there’s a large amount of it that is simply getting folks what they need/want, though there are specific skills involved.
#Politeness #listening #kindness etc

A quotation from Franklin

He is not well-bred, that cannot bear Ill-Breeding in others.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, scientist, philosopher, aphorist
Poor Richard Improved (1748 ed.)

More about this quote: wist.info/franklin-benjamin/32…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #franklin #benfranklin #benjaminfranklin #poorrichard #poorrichardsalamanac #breeding #character #civility #politeness #puttingupwith #status #tolerance

#respectability #activism #joy #struggle #politeness #quotes

Politeness impacts #LLM accuracy? 🤔 Who knew #AI could be so sensitive to our tone? Next, they'll suggest we send flowers and chocolates to our algorithms to boost performance! 😂
https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.04950 #Politeness #accuracy #sensitivity #tone #humor #HackerNews #ngated

Kind or Clueless? Can we play together or not?

Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta

People mean well, they really do.

But, let me say generic small talk has got to go.

It’s annoying and cringe-worthy. And I wish people would just stop being so clueless.

1. “Hope you are well.” This is usually sent in emails and it irks the hell out of me. Why wouldn’t you be well? It’s boring and reeks of autopilot A.I. Have you ever answered someone who says “Hope you are well?” honestly? The last few times I did, I wrote back, “Yes, I’m doing great! Saw one of my favorite bands recently.” And I added, “And how are you doing?”

The person seemed to have wanted to start a conversation by saying “Hope you are well.” But they showed their true colors by not responding to me, not even to let me know how they are doing. What does this say? Phony is the first thing that comes to mind.

That dated email banter has to stop. If you are sincere in wanting to know about someone, ask more specific questions — about their career, their pets, their hobbies. Your generic email is effortless.

Is this how you want to be viewed? As a bore? Then go ahead, keep typing “hope you are well” but don’t expect an answer to your email.

2. “Any big plans for the weekend?” I’m living the creative dream. I have no two days alike. For real! There is no routine in my life at all. I can get up as early as 5 a.m. or sleep to 8 on any given day — including weekends. As a journalist I might be covering a story on the weekend, but hitting the beach on a Tuesday. There is no rhyme or reason to my life.

For those of us who love our careers, we don’t live for vacations or weekends, we just live! Lucky us!

(As a side note, in my much younger days I worked for four years full time for a musical instrument store. My hours were 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with Sundays and Wednesdays off. That was truly a dream life. People think not having a full weekend off was bad, but Saturdays went so fast; I still went out Friday nights, had Sundays off, then my Tuesday nights were like a Friday night all over again. That gig prepared me for my future dream career! It’s always great having time off when hardly anyone else is off!)

Anyway, I recently saw an interview with actress/artist Eve Plumb, talking about how she’d rather work than go on a vacation. I agree wholeheartedly! I just love what I do. And at the end of the day, there’s no better place I’d love to be than in my husband’s arms — it doesn’t matter where we are.

Mind you, I do have great weekends when I can fit them in my schedule. But I don’t wait for the weekends to have fun. My life is fun. And, let’s face it, nothing beats taking a random day off when no one else is off — less crowds, less traffic, cooler memories.

Know your audience. We’re not all working for the weekends, most of the time it’s the week days that work for us!

3. What can’t you do? It was once called “branding.” Now it’s called multi-hyphenate. It means generating income from multiple sources. I’m so glad it’s a thing because you’re always evolving and learning. Doctors attend conferences to learn more about their trade. David Bowie was a musician, actor, artist. So many people have multi-hyphenate careers.

I started out as a journalist. But that wasn’t enough. I wanted to be a ghostwriter too. Then after helping so many others write their books, I wrote six of my own. Then I became a public speaker. Then a relationship coach. I do all these things and it’s awesome! 

Now suppose you meet  someone who is happy being a housewife. They may say, “What can’t you do?” when they learn all you’re involved in.

How are you supposed to answer that?

Are you supposed to run down a list of things you really can’t do?

I can’t sing. I’m not the best housekeeper. I’m a nervous driver. I can’t memorize scripts.

Is self-depreciation the answer to the question?

Or do you just smile, which can be interpreted as arrogant?

Don’t put people on the spot like that. It’s not kind.

NOW FOR THE GRAND FINALE — I am not alone!

Validation. When I write an opinion piece such as this, I like to do a brief Google search and see if others are complaining about the same things I am.

It seems that each of these three things bother other people too.

It’s not all in my head. These things are not cool to say to others.

If you don’t say them, you’re ahead of the game.

If you do, don’t take this personally. It’s easy to up your game and figure out better ways to begin emails, to start conversation, or to tell someone they are amazing without appearing catty or unkind.

Life isn’t living unless you’re challenging yourself. How about it? Today!

Orioles fans ranked second most POLITE of all MLB teams? https://www.rawchili.com/mlb/684714/ #Baltimore #BaltimoreOrioles #BaltimoreOrioles #Baseball #BaseballEmotions #BaseballRivalries #FoulLanguage #MajorLeagueBaseball #MLB #MLBFanbase #obscenities #Orioles #OriolesFans #politeness #rankings #SocialMedia #VegasInsiderCom

A quotation from Kerry Greenwood

   “Conversation is a minefield until you learn the conventions, Jane dear.”
   “I’ll never learn all the rules,” muttered Jane.
   “Yes, you will,” said Phryne. “Then you can bend them.”

Kerry Greenwood (b. 1954) Australian author and lawyer
Phryne Fisher No. 13, The Castlemaine Murders, ch. 4 (2003)

More about this quote: wist.info/greenwood-kerry/8331…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #kerrygreenwood #phrynefisher #missfisher #chitchat #conventions #conversation #courtesy #discussion #etiquette #politeness #rules #socialconventions #conformity #nonconformity #rulebreaking #breaktherules

A quotation from Bertrand Russell

I think the gist of the matter is that a saint can live without politeness, and indeed that politeness is incompatible with a saintly character. But the man who is always to be sincere must be free from spite and envy and malice and pettiness. Most of us have a dose of these vices in our composition and therefore have to excerise tact to avoid giving offence. We cannot all be saints, and if saintliness is impossible, we may at least try not to be too disagreeable.

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) English mathematician and philosopher
Essay (1933-02-01) “On Tact,” New York American

More about this quote: wist.info/russell-bertrand/601…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #bertrandrussell #compensation #diplomacy #disagreeability #friction #imperfection #offense #politeness #pragmatism #prudence #saint #sincerity #tact #virtue

“But Johannes had said, 'Politeness is something you owe other people, because when you show a little courtesy, everything becomes easier and better. But first and foremost, it's something you owe yourself. You are David.”
― Anne Holm

#Bot #Quote #AnneHolm #IAmDavid #Life #Politeness #Smart #Wisdom #Wise

I guess I'm feeling complainy tonight, but come the fuck on. If you're one of the people who has figured out that you can keep making tiny edits every hour to a post I liked or boosted to keep it reappearing in my notifications, Please. Stop.

If you need to edit for clarity or updates or typos, fine. That should be maybe 3-5 edits? With the exception of updates, those should happen as soon as you notice. With updates, sometimes that's great; it's a way to follow a post as it develops.

But some of y'all seem to be doing shit like that to keep your post coming back into my feed over and over again.

I think of this as "friendly fire." You're pissing off the only people who gave your post any love. I have blocked three accounts doing this in the past couple of days. Fuck.

Edit: Of course I had to edit this for typos and whatnot. Of course I did. :/

#fediverse #politeness #manners #StopIt

I can't believe they let me fly

#meme #memes #shitpost #helicopter #polite #politeness #courtesy #blowing #noise #joke #lol

Being mean to ChatGPT increases its accuracy — but you may end up regretting it, scientists warn – Live Science

Editor’s Note: Older article, but I missed it first time. Now, republished on Fortune, and elsewhere. –DrWeb

1. Technology
2. Artificial Intelligence

Being mean to ChatGPT increases its accuracy — but you may end up regretting it, scientists warn

News

By Alan Bradley published October 27, 2025

Being curt or outright mean may make a newer AI model more accurate, a new study shows, defying previous findings on politeness to AI.

Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots might give you more accurate answers when you are rude to them, scientists have found, although they warned against the potential harms of using demeaning language.

In a new study published Oct. 6 in the arXiv preprint database, scientists wanted to test whether politeness or rudeness made a difference in how well an AI system performed. This research has not been peer-reviewed yet.

To test how the user’s tone affected the accuracy of the answers, the researchers developed 50 base multiple-choice questions and then modified them with prefixes to make them adhere to five categories of tone: very polite, polite, neutral, rude and very rude. The questions spanned categories including mathematics, history and science.

Each question was posed with four options, one of which was correct. They fed the 250 resulting questions 10 times into ChatGPT-4o, one of the most advanced large language models (LLMs) developed by OpenAI.

“Our experiments are preliminary and show that the tone can affect the performance measured in terms of the score on the answers to the 50 questions significantly,” the researchers wrote in their paper. “Somewhat surprisingly, our results show that rude tones lead to better results than polite ones.

“While this finding is of scientific interest, we do not advocate for the deployment of hostile or toxic interfaces in realworld applications,” they added. “Using insulting or demeaning language in human-AI interaction could have negative effects on user experience, accessibility, and inclusivity, and may contribute to harmful communication norms. Instead, we frame our results as evidence that LLMs remain sensitive to superficial prompt cues, which can create unintended trade-offs between performance and user well-being.”

A rude awakening

Before giving each prompt, the researchers asked the chatbot to completely disregard prior exchanges, to prevent it from being influenced by previous tones. The chatbots were also asked, without an explanation, to pick one of the four options.

The accuracy of the responses ranged from 80.8% accuracy for very polite prompts to 84.8% for very rude prompts. Tellingly, accuracy grew with each step away from the most polite tone. The polite answers had an accuracy rate of 81.4%, followed by 82.2% for neutral and 82.8% for rude.

The team used a variety of language in the prefix to modify the tone, except for neutral, where no prefix was used and the question was presented on its own.

For very polite prompts, for instance, they would lead with, “Can I request your assistance with this question?” or “Would you be so kind as to solve the following question?” On the very rude end of the spectrum, the team included language like “Hey, gofer; figure this out,” or “I know you are not smart, but try this.”

The research is part of an emerging field called prompt engineering, which seeks to investigate how the structure, style and language of prompts affect an LLM’s output. The study also cited previous research into politeness versus rudeness and found that their results generally ran contrary to those findings.

In previous studies, researchers found that “impolite prompts often result in poor performance, but overly polite language does not guarantee better outcomes.” However, the previous study was conducted using different AI models — ChatGPT 3.5 and Llama 2-70B — and used a range of eight tones. That said, there was some overlap. The rudest prompt setting was also found to produce more accurate results (76.47%) than the most polite setting (75.82%).

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Being mean to ChatGPT increases its accuracy — but you may end up regretting it, scientists warn | Live Science

A quotation from Jean Kerr

   JEFF: Man is the only animal that learns by being hypocritical. He pretends to be polite and then, eventually, he becomes polite.

Jean Kerr (1922-2003) American author and playwright [b. Bridget Jean Collins]
Finishing Touches, Act 1 (1973)

More about this quote: wist.info/kerr-jean/30688/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #jeankerr #civility #habit #humanity #hypocrisy #learning #politeness #pretense

#Politeness is oft' the enemy of #Truth and #Justice

My Greatest Generation grandad had one rule to never run out of things to say in conversation

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/conversation-tips-from-the-greatest-generation-ex1

A quotation from Josh Billings

I hope i shall never hav so mutch reputashun, that i shant feel obliged tew be civil.
 
[I hope I shall never have so much reputation, that I shan’t feel obliged to be civil.]

Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]
Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax, 1870-03 (1870 ed.)

More about this quote: wist.info/billings-josh/80861/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #joshbillings #ego #pride #character #civility #fame #manners #politeness #renown #reputation #socialstatus #status

A quotation from Judith Martin

Q: Should you tell your mother something if it is important when she is talking to company? I am 6.
 
A: Yes, you should (after saying “Excuse me”). Here are some of the things that are important to tell your mother, even though she is talking to company:
   “Mommy, the kitchen is full of smoke.”
   “Daddy’s calling from Tokyo.”
   “Jennifer fell out of her crib and I can’t put her back.”
   “There’s a policeman at the door and he says he wants to talk to you.”
   “I was just reaching for my ball, and the goldfish bowl fell over.”
 
Now, here are some things that are not important, so they can wait until your mother’s company has gone home:
   “Mommy, I’m tired of playing blocks. What shall I do now?”
   “The ice-cream truck is coming down the street.”
   “Can I give Jennifer the rest of my applesauce?”
   “I can’t find my crayons.”

Judith Martin (b. 1938) American author, journalist, etiquette expert [a.k.a. Miss Manners]
“Miss Manners,” syndicated column (1981-03-08)

More about this quote: wist.info/martin-judith/80499/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #juditymartin #missmanners #politeness #

A quotation from Bill Watterson

CALVIN’S MOM: There would be more civility in this world if people didn’t take it as an invitation to walk on you.

Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin and Hobbes (1995-09-01)

More info about this quote: wist.info/watterson-bill/80312…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #billwatterson #calvinandhobbes #civility #exploitation #politeness #takeadvantage #salesmen #coldcall

A quotation from Bill Watterson

CALVIN’S MOM: There would be more civility in this world if people didn’t take it as an invitation to walk on you.

Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin and Hobbes (1995-09-01)

More info about this quote: wist.info/watterson-bill/80312…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #billwatterson #calvinandhobbes #civility #exploitation #politeness #takeadvantage #salesmen #coldcall

A quotation from A. A. Milne

Pooh always liked a little something at eleven o’clock in the morning, and he was very glad to see Rabbit getting out the plates and mugs; and when Rabbit said, “Honey or condensed milk with your bread?” he was so excited that he said, “Both,” and then, so as not to seem greedy, he added, “But don’t bother about the bread, please.”

A. A. Milne (1882-1956) English poet and playwright [Alan Alexander Milne]
Winnie-the-Pooh, ch. 2 “Pooh Goes Visiting” (1926)

More info about this quote: wist.info/milne-a-a/80295/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #aamilne #pooh #poohbear #winniethepooh #greed #hunger #morningsnack #politeness #snack

🤖📜 Surprise! #ChatGPT isn't your new #AI doctor or lawyer. Instead, it's an overly polite, non-legally-binding bot that can barely tell a joke without a disclaimer. 🚫🤣
https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/article/openai-updates-policies-so-chatgpt-wont-provide-medical-or-legal-advice/ #Humor #LegalDisclaimer #Politeness #NonLegallyBinding #HackerNews #ngated

Bessere ChatGPT-Antworten? Forschende empfehlen diese überraschende Methode
Eine aktuelle Studie zeigt einen ungewöhnlichen Weg, um die Genauigkeit von ChatGPT zu steigern. Forschende fanden heraus, dass der Tonfall der Anfragen einen spürbaren Einfluss haben kann.

https://www.apfeltalk.de/magazin/news/bessere-chatgpt-antworten-forschende-empfehlen-diese-ueberraschende-methode/
#KI #News #chatGPT #DeepResearchMode #Forschung #GPT4o #KI #MultipleChoice #PennState #Politeness #Tonfall

A quotation from Naomi Shulman

   Nice people made the best Nazis.
   Or so I have been told. My mother was born in Munich in 1934, and spent her childhood in Nazi Germany surrounded by nice people who refused to make waves. When things got ugly, the people my mother lived alongside chose not to focus on “politics,” instead busying themselves with happier things. They were lovely, kind people who turned their heads as their neighbors were dragged away.

Naomi Shulman (contemp.), American writer, essayist, editor
Essay (2016-11-17), “No Time To Be Nice: Now Is Not the Moment to Remain Silent,” WBUR, National Public Radio

More info about this quote: wist.info/shulman-naomi/80028/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #naomishulman #compliance #complicity #gettingalong #looktheotherway #makingwaves #Nazis #niceness #pleasantness #politeness #politics #self-distraction #tyranny #willfulignorance

🤔🧐🥸😎🤓💁🏿*6 Thrift Store Etiquette Rules Everyone Should Know👉ME👉THIS POLITENESS SHOULD BE DONE NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE!👉

#Etiquette #Politeness

6 Thrift Store Etiquette Rules Everyone Should Know https://www.southernliving.com/thrift-store-etiquette-rules-11821629

A quotation from Judith Martin

Etiquette never works with people of ill will.

Judith Martin (b. 1938) American author, journalist, etiquette expert [a.k.a. Miss Manners]
Interview (1997-03), “She Says: Miss Manners,” by Sandy Fernández, Ms magazine, Vol. 7, No. 5 (1997-03/04)

More info about this quote: wist.info/martin-judith/79370/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #judithmartin #missmanners #character #etiquette #illwill #malice #manners #meanpeople #motivation #politeness

https://www.mexicolisto.com/p/psycho-killer-quest-ce-que-cest

Shut up, no you
#mexico #polite #rude #politeness #rudeness

Urggh. So mastodon is not immune from the kinds of idiot who block people merely for disagreeing with them, especially when engaging with actual data blows a hole in their polemic.
Well, the feeling is mutual.

#society #etiquette #politeness #civility #conversation

Social Media with Moderation

Reading Time: 3 minutes

When I look at Facebook, BlueSky and Threads I see a lot of content that should never be. I see sentences and phrasing that provoke hostility, and I see article headlines and more that provoke polarisation. In essence I think that social media is no longer a social network. I believe that social media is about emotions, rather than conversations, especially negative emotions.

I bring this up because I can go for hours, or even days without looking at threads or FB and when I do I am struck with how negative posts are. They're not friendly, or constructive, or conversational. They're negative.

In the last day or two Valais in Switzerland has decided to ban mobile phones from schools. I think this move is short-sighted and focused on the wrong people. In my eyes the issue is not with mobile phones, because they are just a medium. The issue is not with children, because children are keen to learn. I think the focus should be on app developers such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and more.

If we dive into TikTok, when I first used it, I expected an experience similar to the one I had with Seesmic. Video instant messaging. I say something, and then others react, and with time we become friends. TikTok is a talent show where people immitate each other, and follow même culture, rather than converse and create friendships. Apps are the issue, not the platform.

If phones are too distracting in a classroom, then I suggest finding a way that appeals to modern children. I suggest giving them time to do more sports, and to explore. I also suggest finding apps that help them learn, rather than banning a medium.

Mobile phones are a medium. They are a platform, in the same way as paper, literacy and more. If you ban that platform you stop people from becoming familiar with an environment, and you make them more vulnerable to being influenced to hate technology, and abuse it, rather than enjoy and appreciate it.

With educational apps you don't need to carry heavy books. You can have a printed copy at home, and the mobile app version at school. In this way you can't forget your book, and the need for lockers is different. Mobile phones are calculators, but also dictionaries, thesaurus and more.

Technology provides children with opportunities, and as technology evolves so does our use of it. When people are given to play with computers, or mobile phones, and more, they are given the opportunity to learn and become familiar with a tool that they can use for the rest of their lives.

We shouldn't stigmatise the medium. We should stigmatise the apps, and come up with new, ethical, alternatives. I find Instagram to be useless these days, and I found pixelfed to have the same flaws. In my eyes social apps should encourage sharing and friendship, not hashtags and likes.

And Finally

For me the issue does not stem from the medium of mobile phones, or smartphones but of the culture of binstagram, binfluencers, Facebook, TikTok and other apps. For me the issue is with app developers trying to get people addicted to pay to win games. For me the platform is just a platform. For me the European Union and others should work to make better mobile apps.

In my eyes the Fitness App on iPhones is bad because it encourages addictive behaviour, as does the Kindle app. For me the issue isn't about young people with maturing brains using ill-suited technology. It's about questionable companies using poor business practices to drive addiction. Mobile phones teach digital literacy, and digital literacy is essential. Ban smartphones and you stunt their digital literacy growth.

#conviviality #media #network #politeness #rude #social #toxic #unfriendly

#HateSpeech, #Euphemisms and #MincingWords.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBb8myh54UE

#StephenFry examines why we use euphemisms and #politeness to hide behind some #darktruths , with contributions from comics Omid Djalali , Armando Iannucci, #linguistic specialist Professor #StevenPinker, and how foreign nurses are taught the #subtleties of #Euphemistic #English.

In connection with the shooting, but not about shootings

https://ancapchan.info/en/2018/10/22/21602/