--- Mikalac Norman S NSSC <MikalacNS at NAVSEA.NAVY.MIL>
wrote:
> personally, i find that lister monopolization and
> invective intimidate
> listers who otherwise might learn about the more
> edifying ideas presented on
> the list. also, these unfortunate subs might
> present interesting and
> valuable posts. lacking the courage to "suffer the
> slings and arrows of
> outrageous fortune" or "take arms against a sea of
> troubles", unheard and
> unheeded, they eventually quit the list.
I disagree. LBO, contrary to popular opinion, is not a flame pit. I've been subscribed to the list for two and a bit years now. My value system is pretty different from the mainstream of LBO-talk, and I work in an industry which I would think about a quarter of the list believe to be actually evil.
In those two years, I've been involved in precisely three flamewars. Of which two of them were fights which I intentionally picked, and one was about Lacan and science, which is an intrinsically flamey topic. If this is such a flamepit, how the hell did I stay out of trouble? It sure as shooting ain't because of my non-confrontational nature.
The point is a) that the proportion of people on this list who are experts in their own fields is very high.
It is incredibly unlikely that they are going to be interested in revisiting first principles, particularly if they suspect that the questions they are being asked are not in good faith. Norm himself has managed to avoid almost all flak simply by dint of the fact that he indulges in the unfashionable business of asking questions out of a desire to know the answer.
and b) that this is not a "debate" list; it's a list that's primarily about discussion of political, economic and cultural issues. This is not a part of usenet where people come for a pythonesque "room for an argument". It's a great place to see some very intelligent people talking about very complicated things.
And finally, c) if you're subscribed to this list, you at the very least ought to be actively considering subscribing to Left Business Observer, because that's the common thread underlying all these discussions, and if you read it, you'll understand a lot more about where people are coming from. And, with only a few shopping days left, at an inflation-busting U$55 for 11 issues, a subscription makes an ideal Christmas present for any of your political pals. You can even order subscriptions over the internet!
dd, blatantly apple-polishing.
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