----- Original Message ----- From: "Gautam Mukunda" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Brin-L" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, May 05, 2002 9:50 PM Subject: RE: TIME OUT Re: And here we go again.
> 2, it really does irk me when you freely talk about the possibility of > booting listmembers or making a "web of shame." > > Marvin Long > > Me: > Actually, I hate to say this, but I have to go farther than that. The very > possibility that such a website will be created makes it very likely that I > will be leaving the list in the very near future. While, as I have stated > in the past, I have no fear of anyone judging my posts in context, the firm > that I will be joining is extremely publicity and controversy averse. Were > any supervisor of mine to come across it, there's no doubt in my mind that I > would be immediately instructed to leave the list, and that I would probably > be viewed with disfavor anyways. I have the highest opinion of McKinsey, > but I don't think they'd _care_ about the details, they just don't like > controversy in any form. I simply can't afford to take on that level of > risk at this point in my career when no larger principle seems to be at > stake. > I'm a lot more fortunate than Gautam. My customers are not as worried about people including me on a website of shame as Gautam's future employer. When Jeroen stated that, unless I improved my ability to substantiate my arguments, then my little consulting company's biggest assent was non-existent, I was worried for about a day. Fortunately, I didn't expect my customers to simply read one or two posts of his out of context. Even if Jeroen puts this type of libel on a website, standing alone, it still probable wouldn't affect my business. But, it does illustrate why context matters. If someone stumbled onto that website as a stand alone, and it was a Brin-L website, they might conclude that David Brin was stating that I had no scientific credibility. That could very well hurt both DB and me. However, if a customer were to read the statement by Jeroen in context, it would probably improve my relationship with them, since it involved me arguing against the conceit that the US government were war criminals for using landmines in Korea that do not fall under the special exemption given to European land mines. Dan M.
