On Fri, 31 Dec 2004, Mario Goveia wrote:
However, with all due respect, I find it patently offensive that some Goanetters "irritation" with certain subjects and continuing debates should trample on the free speech rights of others who may disagree. If such ideas prevail we have anarchy, sometimes the anarchy of a majority, often of a small minority, sometimes just a couple of fastidious "elites".
This is like complaining of the content in any media in a free society. No one is forcing any individual Goanetter to read every post or follow every debate. The subject line tells what the contents are likely to be, and one can choose to delete or read, comment or ignore.
Just some comments:
(i) Free speech doesn't mean saying what we want, whenever we want, in disproportionate amounts, and impose it on others who are then told to use the delete key.
(ii) Online fora are like any real-life meeting halls in some ways. In the online world, many people can 'speak' simultaneously. This does not mean we should clog the communications with a whole lot of postings which simply overwhelm the debate by sheer quantum. This would tantamount to blocking the free speech of others.
(iii) Free speech does mean that a wide range of opinions should be allowed to go through (whether the admin agrees with them or not). It does not, to me at least, mean that incessant debate should be continued even when others in the group are complaining of topic-fatigue.
(iv) When you post a message, we are indeed *forcing* every Goanetter to download the same, whether (s)he wants it or not. There is no way a Goanet subscriber can read only some posts and not read others. This is particularly true of Goanet-Digest subscribers, who have to download the entire digests and can't delete posts of just one or two posters by reading only the subject-line. Many readers get the Digest version.
Besides, the fact that every reader has to *necessarily*
download every message put out on this list, also means
that they're being compelled in a way to read something
they might rather not want to. If you want the freedom to post anything, go to Usenet
newsgroups (http://groups.google.com). You have the freedom
to post 9, 90 or 900 messages in an hour -- that's because
the posts do not go as email to anyone, but only get
downloaded if someone asks for them! Result: Usenet newsgroups are full of spam, junk and other
irritating posts. Including hate posts set up by
bigots of virtually every religion ... and secular
bigots too ;-) A few groups like SCIG (soc.culture.india.goa)
are run on moderated lines, but these will accept every
post on Goa within the 'charter' under which it was
set up, simply because no one has to then download such posts
without a choice!(v) Try telling the NYT, the IHT or the Washington Post in the "land of the free" that they have to carry everything you write -- after all, readers who don't like it can just skip the item on reading the title -- and see if they agree.
(vi) IMHO, there will be anarchy if everyone insists that they have the *right* to post whatever they please, whenever they please, on whatever topic, and however many times they wish with no regard to the rules that any mailing-list works under and with complete contempt for feedback from the readers.
On the other hand, it would make more sense to tailor our posts to issues and entry-points which would interest a number of others in the group. After all, isn't communication all about that -- getting others interested, rather than saying you're-free-to-use-the-delete-key ?
FN ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frederick Noronha (FN) Nr Convent Saligao 403511 GoaIndia Freelance Journalist P: 832-2409490 M: 9822122436 http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks http://fn.swiki.net http://fredericknoronha.stumbleupon.com http://fn-floss.notlong.com
