Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 12:05:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: "M.A. King" <kingma-AT-mcmail.CIS.McMaster.CA>
Subject: Re: response to "power and chat rooms"




On Thu, 16 Jul 1998, Mitch Wilson wrote:

> >Read the archives. How many women last the distance in lists like this
> >one? three over the last few months, here I think.
> >N. (na.devine-AT-auckland.ac.nz)
> 
> Whom are you going to slam next - homosexuals, Asians, Catholics? 

*koff* Well, there's a perfect example of one of the most obvious elements
of politics in electronic "socialities":  if you don't know someone, read
with the least charity possible.

> And where are the archives, anyway? 

I'd've thought that someone who advertises their own webpage in their
posts wouldn't have too much trouble finding them.  (See, I'm doing it
too!;)

> By the way, if anyone is curious, below is the question I initially
> asked which na.devine felt so compelled to not answer.
> 
> "Any suggested readings/authors on power via language-use in the
> performances of genders in chat room socialities would be tremendously
> appreciated."

I dunno, I thought Nesta's answer was pretty much to the point.

Here's another odd thing about e-list politics:  when someone asks a
question and no one gives an answer or a straight answer, the asker often
reacts like s/he's being deliberately snubbed--as if someone out there
must know the answer and they're just not giving it up.  Well, actually
that fits right in with reading with the least charity possible....

Matthew

----Matthew A. King------Department of Philosophy------McMaster University----
     "The border is often narrow between a permanent temptation to commit
     suicide and the birth of a certain form of political consciousness."
-----------------------------(Michel Foucault)--------------------------------