From: Harvey Newstrom (mail@HarveyNewstrom.com)
Date: Wed May 29 2002 - 10:19:19 MDT
On Wednesday, May 29, 2002, at 11:31 am, Lee Corbin wrote:
>> Don't tell me you don't believe this list never gets hacked or that
>> anti-extropians never
>> join it to monitor what's talked about!
>
> I did not know that this list gets hacked.
No hacking is required. Public archives of this list are available on
the web and are searchable by anybody who wants. A Google search can
quickly jump to a racist or violent posting being represented as an
"extropian" option, and believe that it represents our official opinion
as portrayed at our official site.
>> As a member of a group we all have a responsibility not to do anything
>> deleterious to the reputation of that group. We're in control of the
>> reputation we get only as long as that responsibility is acknowledged.
>
> I believe that Alex's post is of great historical importance,
> and will perhaps in years to come be seen as a turning point.
> There used to be quite a number of us who posted on this forum
> in a completely open and fearless search for the truth. One
> actually reveled in the freedom to do so. No one curbed anything
> that he or she said or thought out of fear that there was an
> enemy "They" who could use it against "Us", or that some folks
> with sensitive dispositions would be appalled.
This is still the case. We just need an accurate portrayal. You need
to label "your" opinions as "your opinions" and not claim that they
represent extropian prinicples.
> The issue isn't really
> whether something is "off-topic" or not: lots of abstract
> math topics and other miscellany constantly occur on the list,
> and none of us objects to that. What is important is that
> Extropians present a positive and favorable image to outsiders.
> But I am hugely disappointed that it has come to this.
More accurately, what is important is that Extropians not MISREPRESENT a
negative and unfavorable image to outsiders. If racists, baby-killers,
assassins and the like would simply present their thoughts as their own
proposals, there would be no problem. But for some reason, such radical
ideas are alway snuck in as being the "extropian" way, or something that
"everybody" knows. Trying to imply official support or endorsement
where there is none is misleading and causes us to be misrepresented to
the public.
(See my previous posting in this thread for examples of websites
misrepresenting us as racists based on stuff they have seen or heard
about us.)
-- Harvey Newstrom, CISSP <www.HarveyNewstrom.com> Principal Security Consultant <www.Newstaff.com>
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