I love this list. I have gained so much support for my non-profit group so keep up the good work :o>
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Tom Donahoe Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 1:10 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [luau] Moderation--of all kinds On 2/22/03 10:36 AM, "Kevin Goad" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > How about a little diplomacy? This list should have a mediator. > > Hi All-- Kevin, I agree a little more diplomacy is in order. It is disappointing that there has been so much pettiness on this list of late. I thought we were here to learn about and support the Open Source movement. And while I understand that a cornerstone of the whole movement is a free exchange of ideas, when things become little more than personal invective and self-aggrandizement, I wonder how successful this movement will become. This type of behavior does not allow us as a community to progress. The battles we fight against proprietary software manufacturers and the attitude among users of that software are hard enough without senseless infighting. Disagreements and differences of opinion are fine and healthy, but when it is nothing more than childish, personal attacks, our attempts to bring about change are weakened. These dilute the efforts of the many who are trying to do go good by making us all look bad. Clearly some moderation--by which I mean less extreme behavior--is called for Kevin asks for moderation of another kind--someone willing to edit the contributions to the list by keeping out such emails. I have some problems with that, and I think others on this list might. (After all, what would keep a moderator from acting in the same childish way, letting in only those emails he/she agrees with?) On the other hand, I am seriously toying with leaving the list, just because a small number of people seem incapable of acting civilized. All communities have rules governing behavior. Freedom of speech is a right we enjoy in the US; however, it is not absolute. As a society we have put a variety of restrictions on free speech. We have coupled these restrictions with penalties for those who transgress the limits. We could do the same in this community if we decided that was a way to stop this kind of pettiness. Rights demand responsibility. If everyone acted that way, things would be great, and I wouldn't be writing this. We could make a community decision about how we react when trivial exchanges of this type occur. Or not. In the end, we are all here by the grace of owner(s) of the list. Whomever this is could decide unilaterally, and we'd have to abide by the decision, or go somewhere else and start another list. I prefer the community approach myself, but accept the reality of the second. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt if we started acting as if we were guests in another person's house. I have mixed feelings about writing this email. On the one hand, I feel it is necessary to say something. On the other, I have a sense that it will only encourage more of the same impropriety we have seen recently. I hope that is not true, and I hope we can strive for greater civility in our all exchanges. Aloha Tom Donahoe _______________________________________________ LUAU mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://videl.ics.hawaii.edu/mailman/listinfo/luau