[ale] as promised/threatened, an overly long post with probably nothing of real importance

[Brian MacLeod]

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On 5/3/11 11:03 PM, Jim Kinney wrote:
> 
> However, I exercised an option that is available to me as the list
> admin. I set the moderator bit on for all list members. This effectively
> gave me the power to censor the speech of ALE list participants. This
> censorship practice is something I am deeply disturbed by. I am
> extremely embarrassed that I let some irrelevant speech so affect my
> judgment that I would exercise censorship on a group whose founding
> process involves openness, freedom and responsibility.
> 
> So I am in a crisis of conscience. I have been the ALE list maintainer
> for some time now and very happy knowing I have never done anything that
> I am opposed philosophically to in my service to the group. I am opposed
> to the use of the moderator flag especially for the purpose of silencing
> speech with a group whose central reason for existence depends on
> freedom of speech. And yet, I see no other recourse but to use it
> (albeit far more selectively than a global off switch). Thus my dilemma.
> 
> However, the aspect that concerns me the most is NO ONE COMPLAINED THAT
> I ALONE SHUT DOWN THE LIST. I made a unilateral decision and EVERYONE on
> this list just shrugged like sheep and went along. I got emails asking
> me to not bail out but if I was going to they would step up. But not a
> single email complaining that I took away their freedoms on this list. I
> expected 20-30 emails within minutes of the announcement of my action.
> That it never came has indicated this is no longer the ALE from my
> memories but it is something strange and far less satisfying.


And if we had complained, what would have happened?  Most likely those
complaints would have been screeds on censorship and more political BS.

Are we more politically charged than before?  I think we know the answer
to that.  Are we as a list more apathetic than we were?  I think so.  I
know there are certain topics and certain posters that as soon as I see
their combination, I move towards glancing rather than reading.  That
the moderation bit was set did not escape my attention, and I would have
certainly been against it for any significant length of time, but at the
same time, the best defense from a crap storm is to keep covered.  I
figured the charged air had gotten the best of folks, and in some ways,
you were protecting us from ourselves.  That it required censorship is
bad to be sure, but lately political discourse seems to take on the
"whoever can out shout the other, wins" (no, you don't, you just lose
your voice by exhausting yourself or exhausting the listeners).



> What I also got was several emails from people who have since
> unsubscribed attempting to continue the political discussion. Bah. Waste
> of time.

> When I took over as ALE admin there were some 1100+ subscribers. There
> are now less than 400. There was a huge flurry of unsubscribes right
> after the prior move. The discourse then had become intolerable for
> many. And here we are again. At one point in time ALE did some pretty
> amazing things and now most meetings look like a collection of actors
> for an upcoming AARP commercial :-)


I ain't that grey yet.  Hopefully I will be. And hopefully they'll be a
crew going with me on that journey.


> I have received 7 offers to take over the admin duties of the list. Of
> those 7, 1 has a history of involvement in political crap on the list
> and one brought up the political crap in their offer and tried to defend
> it. So the short list is down to 5. I did get several emails asking that
> I stay on as the admin with the argument that I have acted rationally.


Sometimes someone has to cut off the microphone.  It does not keep us
from speaking, but it does cut down the deafening roar.


> So now what? Do I stay on, but knowing I will likely have to wield the
> big "STFU" stick which I abhor or do I pass the reigns? If I pass the
> reigns do I pick a successor or do I put together a vote thing?


Your conscience.  The price of power.  At least you are showing you have
a conscience, which means all is not lost,
young...old...(sorry)...Skywalker.

As for succession, should it be chosen, I don't know that you
necessarily should have all the decision making power, no.  That you
hold the power certainly means you have to be able to have a say of who
you think can do it, but it shouldn't be solely you.  And if the list
DID for some reason go for that, then you ain't kidding about the list
changing.


> I will stay if asked. I will wield the STFU stick with impunity if the
> political crap starts getting loud again. I will step aside if that is
> the best choice for ALE. I will not ask anyone else to step aside or
> unsubscribe. I will ask those who continually poke politics to keep
> their noise below background. Those that refuse or are incapable of
> restraint, I will leave their STFU button set on until they improve.


Regardless of any potential changes, this seems most sound, as these
"discussions" aren't getting anyone anywhere fast.

It's probably high time for a policy document (can feel a million
voice...okay, 400 voices crying out, and suddenly being silenced).
Freedom is supposed to come with responsibility, and if people cannot be
responsible in their commentary in a mailing list which has a legitimate
purpose to advance, then their freedom to participate in its movement
should be limited.  They are otherwise wasting the resources of the
movement to champion some other cause.

bnm


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