I also love the permeability of GO. And I think it's very important to be able to discuss politics and religion, as these are really central to much of the literature that we discuss. It would be difficult to discuss Pullman, C.S. Lewis, Antonia Forest, or most 19th-century authors without some reference to politics or religion.
I love the fact that GO is very international and varied and that one can get the perspectives of people from a huge variety of countries, age-groups, religions, and political viewpoints. I have learned a lot, and adjusted some of my own assumptions. I would be very sad if this list became just another list that required one to just post on very specific topics, and discouraged all off-topic comment. In other words, I, too, would like GO to remain as it is. However, my interpretation of Helen's remark was not that certain topics are banned and anyone who posts on them will be promptly censored. It does seem that there are a few topics that arouse very strong feelings in some people, and can lead them to attempt to 'spank' and 'censor' people who post on these subjects. This sort of thing is not always confined to politics or religion. I think that for most people, being 'spanked' by other list members is actually more intimidating than being 'spanked' by a moderator, because it feels more personal. Having some possibilities for action by a moderator in extreme cases, may actually reduce some people's nervousness about posting. Ann In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Diane Purkiss <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, girlsown- > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes > > > > I would also argue strenuously for the permeability of the 'topic' we > discuss. At bottom, it's books, and talking about books can lead almost > anywhere - to cooking or religion or showjumping or very personal > histories - and all those thigns can eb relevant to books and > illuminating about them. I fear - and it may be irrational - that this > admin rule may lead to self-censorship; people may so dislike the spank > that they don't dare bring up politics or history or religion. And I > for one love the way we can discuss hairwashing one week and Bush the > next, with an in-depth reading of Trease's politics sandwiched between. > > I think all I'm really saying is that I love GO as it is. And I don't > want it to change. > -- ________________________________________ Girlsown mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] For self-administration and access to archives see http://home.it.net.au/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/girlsown For FAQs see http://www.club-web.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/girlsown/faq-0.htm
