[extropy-chat] Politics: worthwhile commentary

[Harvey Newstrom]

On Jan 2, 2006, at 12:30 AM, spike wrote:
> Harvey your concern is noted.  I was hoping to avoid having
> ExI members complain to the moderators about another ExI
> member harassing them offlist.  I agree that any attack is
> undesirable behavior, but I see that issue as one of the risks
> of posting your thoughts in public.  Any public figure
> must accept this.  We recognize that extropy sometimes
> attracts eccentric characters, but what the hey, we like
> eccentric characters.  There is little we can do about
> that.

This isn't what you said.  You said you "personally have no problem 
with their doing it in private," appearing to open the door for list 
members to start sending personal attacks to list members in private 
e-mail with your blessing.

>> What are you doing, Spike?  First you allow off-topic politics...
>
> I made a controversial judgment call on this one.  We had some ExI
> posters who appeared to be boiling over to discuss the Second Iraq
> war, which turned out to be really about the U.S. constitution
> vs. international law.  I can see how that directly impacts the
> extropian vision of the future in many ways.

This isn't what you said.  You said,  "If people have something to say
that is not particularly extropian, say it this week" and "Then after
that let us settle down and post extropian stuff again?"

> As long as the posters maintain some semblance of order

They didn't.  You admonished Russell, saying that  "all the skeptics 
who insisted we could not discuss political matters without fighting 
are surely nanner nannering us."

>   I am hoping to avoid an SL4-style list sniper task.

It's called moderating.  Why did you take the job of moderating if you 
don't want to do it?

> I fully understand and agree with SL4 for doing that, but ExI is more 
> a general topic list.

Oh, barf.  I give up right now.  I thought the whole point of trying to 
stay on extropian topics was to avoid being pulled down to the lowest 
common denominator of being a "general topic list"!  But it seems that 
other people really want that.

> I will not referee every rassling match that breaks out

When the moderator says this, it appears to give a clear signal that 
"rassling matches" will be allowed by the moderators who will not 
intervene.  Don't act surprised when they keep happening, because you 
are causing them.

> I have not the time for that.

Then I suggest you stop pretending to do the job that you have neither 
the time nor desire to do.  Do what you say and say what you do.  
Either have a moderated list, or don't.  I don't care.  Just be honest 
about it.

--
Harvey Newstrom <HarveyNewstrom.com>
CISSP CISA CISM CIFI NSA-IAM GSEC ISSAP ISSMP ISSPCS IBMCP

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