Re: a nice piece of haggis
Tim O'Connor (tim@roughdraft.org)
Tue, 25 Aug 1998 08:50:28 -0500
Howdy, all.
> Tim has told us he wants quietness & loving kindness.
> Being a guest in his house, I must comply. Pity. It's not
> really my style. Am I allowed just a couple of responses ?
Scottie! 8-) Just a quick but important note. It's not my house; I'm
just the housekeeper, the caretaker, and something like the sheepdog. I
don't want to stifle the give-and-take, but really would prefer that we not
settle into a series of personal attacks. I mean, we get into all kinds of
disputes and contentions, but when it turns into a pissing contest and a
lot of name-calling, I'd like to discourage that. But we're all adults
here -- even the horses!
> The books "Malcs" questions are indeed a source of great
> embarassment to me. It wasn't just good manners - always
> my strong point - that prevented me from flogging either them
> or my personal CV all over a list devoted to another writer.
I would say that your work -- or anyone else's -- is certainly fair to
raise if it's work you want to raise. You're part of the community, and
your work's not irrelevant, not if you think it merits introduction into
the conversation. But...
> (Though I did reluctantly & privately supply details to one or two
> interested members.) It was the awareness of what absolute
> tripe they are. How many of *you* would like your juvenilia
> spread out before the mocking eyes of the world ?
... of course since you feel that you do not want the work up for
discussion, that is your choice, too, and a perfectly acceptable option!
(Especially when you so convincingly echo our hero's words from back the
last time his uncollected work was "published.")
I guess my point is that this place is a community of sorts, in my eyes,
and when I make requests and such about civility, it's just that -- a
request for gentler discourse, with the awareness that it's a big community
and that there are plenty of online places that have "all you can eat"
portions of bile. I like to think that we're able to avoid being one of
those places. But in matters like this, I have one vote, just like
everyone else, and I'll completely defer to what the community prefers, so
long as it does not hinder the operation of the list.
End of serious but good-natured clarification!
--t