Incivility

[Max Sawicky]

> . . .
> 	However, I want to register in the strongest terms my
> disagreement with Nathan Newman's off-list protest, which prompted Doug to
act and Louis to depart. (It is noteworthy that Nathan and the other
touchingly tender, easily offended complainers were scrupulously silent a
few months back while Louis hammered me with much harsher words than he has
ever applied to Rakesh. Not all of them, though; some of today's civility
gang directed their own colorful insults my way.) . . .

Before you arrived -- or surfaced -- there was a
good-hearted fellow here named James Withrow who
said something dumb and was basically savaged
all around.  I believe he worked at Borders.
Not being any kind of bigfoot
academic or old lefty, he didn't mount much of
a defense and took his leave, leaving us with
better but fewer list-members, so to speak.

I also have to note Doug's own recent remark
about Eric Alterman, who is off-list, to raise
the point that if harsh language -- "the model
of war," if you will -- is acceptable treatment
of people off-list, then the rationale for
prohibiting it on-list becomes problematic.


> . . . You can't have
> it both ways, folks.

Indeed.


> . . .
> 	Finally, the civility police face one direction only (to
> their left).  Rakesh has been handy with offensive taunts throughout.
. . .

Not the first time Rakesh has executed this
pirouette either.

In general I'd be for more rather than less civility,
provided it was consistently observed.

mbs