X-Message-Number: 3486
Date: Tue, 13 Dec 1994 22:57:01 -0600 (CST)
From: Steve Jackson <>
Subject: CRYONICS Re: moderation

Bad discourse can drive out good. The way to create a useful mailing list 
is not to wring your hands about "censorship," but to find a moderator
who is honest and competent . . . and will make decisions based on content
rather than perceived politics of the poster, and throw out the junk posts. 
I'd trust Kevin, if he wanted the job.

No one is being "censored" - everyone has the right to create an
unmoderated alt group, post to their heart's desire, read, flame, and
so on. There's a place for that in society. But I don't want to read it.
If this list turns into alt.bauge.copyright.rant.rant.rant, I will quit
reading. As is, I tolerate the marginal quality of the discussion 
only because the subject is important to me.

The digest format is particularly bad for unmoderated groups, because
one can't conveniently skip or killfile any posting, even when it's
obviously not one you want to read - whether because the poster has
proven himself to be a waste of time, or just because the subject is
not interesting. If you prate to me that I "should" read everything,
you're wrong; don't try to make my choices for me! You can put it out 
there, but it's your job to make it interesting.

If you don't like this post, I'm sorry. Just think: if it had arrived in 
your box as a separate item, you could have killed it without reading it,
or nuked it as soon as you saw the first paragraph.

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