Hi, Kees!  Recently you wrote in a message to Michiel van der Vlist:

MvdV>  BTW, my name is "van der Vlist", not "Vlist". Ommiting
MvdV>  prefixes in names is considered insultive here.


          Speaking as a resident of Vancouver, Canada... with a name folks from
my own country can't quite get their minds around sometimes... I understand how
Michiel & others from Z2 must feel in such situations.  However, I also realize
from the multiplicity of apparent Anglicizations of Dutch surnames in the local
telephone directory that some folks Over Here might have difficulty remembering
which individuals use "van der", "Van Der", "Vander", or ???  If they leave out
the hard part they may not realize they're committing a faux pas... [wry grin].



KvE>   Yes, and when done on purpose, grounds for a PC.


          Seems to me this addendum has to with message content, though.

          There *are* situations where it's obvious an insult was deliberate...
but IMHO that's not the case here.  I much prefer the way Michiel & Janis dealt
with the issue just now.  Michiel did not make accusations... he simply pointed
out Janis's error, and explained that in the Netherlands it would be considered
insulting.  Janis then apologized & thanked him for setting her straight.

          No muss, no fuss... and no need for pistols at dawn or whatever.  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+