Opinion / Respect

> On Wed, 29 May 2002 05:32:27 -0700 Don M <dmaddox1@hot.rr.com> wrote:

> All I can say is that Australians tend to be a bit more forthright

> I knew there was a reason I liked you guys... <

It's a cultural tradition, generally referred to as "respect without
subservience" -- that is, give a person the respect to which he or she
is due, but if they're being a bloody idiot, tell them so! Ofttimes cited as
the reason for such things as Oz's aviation safety record, and guaranteed to
well and truly put the wind up certain Poms (especially those writing for
tabloids).

I've seen this in practice, and well remember the amazed looks I got from
workmates when I called the Chief Designer at a nameless British aircraft
factory on his apparent willingness to overlook the "inconvenient" results of
stress calculations that I'd spent weeks on. The DO grapevine had me losing my
temper with him and... well, I was
never quite sure what I was supposed to have done after that; no-one
was game to tell me! <g> Still, I got them to do proper tests on the
thing -- which it passed, so we were both right!

Phil
----
"I think... I think I am! Therefore I am... I think?"
                                       -- The Moody Blues