From: dwayne (dwayne@pobox.com)
Date: Tue Jun 01 1999 - 00:42:41 MDT
Eugene Leitl wrote:
>
> How long is this to go on? Don't you people realize that you are
> causing people to unsubscribe, due to sheer post volume?
>
> Unfortunately there is no unsubscription feedback, otherwise you'd see
> you're killing the list. Didn't you notice? It never fully
> recovers. Negative selection: the best people don't come back. See
> archives for proof.
>
> Please take this off-list. NOW.
>
> And let's declare future gun debates off limits.
Hey, I am 10000000000000000% behind Eugene as far as this goes. I first
subscribed to this list in 1993 I think. Maybe 1994. I have only ever
lurked because this place is a sinkhole of gun nuts and radical
capitalists, and I get enough of that on Usenet. I regularly subscribe
and unsubscribe. If there were more reasoned discussion and less naked
aggression and argument, I'd probably write a dozen messages a day, but
I don't because there's not enough wheat to make the chaff palatable.
This list used to be an ASTOUNDING place for people thinking about the
future. It was one of the reasons I used to feel that my life had been
greatly enriched, even *blessed* by access to the internet. Seriously,
it was that good and made that much of an impression on me. Now it
comes across as some patriotic US flag-waving forum, you know, just
another email list, instead of one of the intellectual high-water marks
of the internet, which it used to be. Hell, I got email from Marvin
Minsky after I wrote something to this list. I wonder if he is still
subscribed? I'll bet he isn't, and it won't be because he is too busy,
I'll bet.
And yes, I know that *isn't* what it is, so calm down. But that is how
it comes across to non-americans. Perhaps you might care to do
something about it? It's your list, after all.
Dwayne
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