[Newspoetry] netiquette

[david moses fruchter]

a localized phenomenon known as joe may have inscribed:

> I disagree, though, that the rule amounts to censorship.  People are
> welcome to express whatever point of view they want to, they just
> aren't welcome to post personal email messages from others to the
> list.

i also agree that the rule is not censorship.  how you as rule-maker
choose to enforce the rule may or may not be censorship, depending on
whether or not you actually prevent messages from someone from appearing
to the list at large (whether or not those messages include text that was
originally part of someone else's email.)

to me, making a rule implies enforcement of some kind.  if you have no
intention of enforcement, request, suggestion, or desire may be better
terms for what you have in mind.  i'm still a bit confused as to your
intent -- the passive style construction of "x is (or is
not) welcome" seems to hide your personal stake in the discussion, as well
as what you may plan to do about it.  as list administrator, possessing
the power to censor messages, your statements may be taking on a
threatening tone to my reading which you did not intend; you saying
someone is not welcome carries a bit more *force* than someone without the
power to censor saying the same thing.

i can conceive of a "point of view" which holds that text is ownerless,
and that privacy of textual communication should not be privileged over
the right to do anything with language that we desire.  i don't hold that
point of view, exactly, but in imagining it it seems to me that posting
personal email from others to the list could be an expression of that
point of view, which leads to a contradiction in terms of what you've
described as welcome or unwelcome.

i feel now that i've pressed my point too far, and further distracted the
list from its noble purpose.  also, that i have not acknowledged the
gratitude i feel for the list's existence, and your role as administrator
in keeping that existence going.  i feel regret about these things, but my
reaction against even the hint of authority is the stronger feeling.

yr. obt. svt.,

david