On Tue, 27 Jun 1995, Gwen Loosmore wrote:
> I'm a relatively new subscriber to the list, so I must
> admit I'm not exactly sure what is supposed to be
> discussed. I WAS, however, hoping for something more
> along the lines of what Shawn suggested, i.e. taking
> feminism as a given, i.e., the oppression of women and
> the degradation of the environment as a given. I am NOT
> interested in hearing from a man about how oppressed
> he has been. I can and do hear that elsewhere.
>
<snip
>
> So tell me, should I unsubscribe?
No, no. Do not unsubscribe. Your comments are so sane and
balanced. We do need this space and I too think that feminism
should be a given, and we should not allow the male/female
thing to drive this very useful list into the ground. So to
speak.
We had a similar problem with a forum set up on our local
FreeNet, which I regret to say has not yet recovered -- and
may NEVER recover -- but part of the problem was that it did
not have a clear focus. This list does.
My suggestion -- do NOT reply to this off-topic stuff online.
Some people love to jump up and down and call attention to
themselves. So long as others play the game, it makes no
difference whether the comments are hostile, thoughtful, or
totally inane. They are being NOTICED! The best way to
handle this kind of thing is to reply privately -- and
frequently -- pointing out that this is not appropriate
behavior and perhaps pointing out other lists where such
comments would be more welcome.
This has been a valuable resource for many women. I don't
think it should be abandoned because of tiresome and off-
topic posts by a few.
>
> --Gwen Loosmore, student
>
>
