X-Message-Number: 23957
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 22:13:47 -0400
From: 
Subject: What "Cryonics Cafe" Is Really Like

Rick Potvin posts announcements to CryoNet about his "Cryonics Cafe" 
occasionally, and more frequently of late.  His latest claim in #23943 is 
that his "Cafe" is "an on or off-topic discussion area for 
cryonicists."  However well-intended that may or may not be, it is clear 
that his "Cafe" is not a "discussion area" by most conventional definitions 
of the word "discussion" which imply free discourse between different 
people.  The reason for this is that unless you only post things Potvin 
agrees with, he is likely to delete your posts.  No posts - no discussion.

In the following message posted recently on his Cafe, Potvin himself 
declares his censorship policy:

"April 21 2004 at 7:05 PM Rick
...Some people have left Cryonics Cafe because they say I exert too much 
control here. But my control is different than Brown's in that my control 
is fair and his isn't. His isn't because he refuses to delete messages that 
the poster requests be deleted. Mine is fair because even though I delete 
messages that I don't like, I always delete messages that others request be 
deleted or modified somehow. The idea of an editor deleting material on his 
own, like I do, v.s. the idea of an editor refusing to delete material at 
the request of a poster are two entirely different balls of wax."

Also, lest readers be tempted to be impressed with the volume of postings 
on this "Cafe," a closer look is advised.  Many of the regular posters, 
under pseudonyms, often sound suspiciously like Potvin's own writing 
style.  Even some of the many anonymouses posting there often sound quite 
like him.  The only times you can be reasonably sure whose prose you are 
reading is the infrequent post from a named individual which sounds like 
something that person probably would have written.  And of course Potvin's 
own signed posts, which appear to provide around 2/3 of the "Cafe" 
content.  He frequently responds to his own posts, without bothering to use 
one of his pseudonym personalities, sometimes several times in a row.

So, if you like to read Potvin, his "Cafe" would be the place to be.  For 
even more Potvin, I understand he also has a Lyndon Larouche forum on the 
same system.  Some of those posts are also on the "Cafe" and you could have 
something to do all day trying to figure them out.  If you like to talk to 
Potvin, be careful what you say or the conversation may be very short.  If 
you don't like the type of coffee the "Cafe" provides, bringing your own 
would risk get you evicted.

My choice has been to forego such attempted participation and its baggage.



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