Date: Sat, 08 Apr 1995 16:35:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: JIM WOODS <FWOODS1-AT-vaxc.hofstra.edu>
Subject: Re: Re: Political Woman Daily Hotline #1 (fwd)


Ok..  to end my input on the subject..

I guess I may have done the same thing I was trying to speak against, i.e.
gotten the list off track.  After recieving that bulletin, unbidden, at
three different sites, over the course of about half an hour, I admit my
post was rather reactionary.  I do feel, however, that the "purity" of
lists is important.  While the bulletin in question did deal with feminism,
I felt it was inappropriate.  Obviously, others disagree, and I do see the
value of such information.  That's the key here.. in the coming years, we
will have to become increasingly selective as to what information we
consider.  The format of this list is such that all messages arrive,
sequentially.  If, in the not so distant future, this list were to become
overrun with "updates" and "bulletins" and "alerts", I am sure it would
have a negative effect on the flow of discussion.  I am not endorsing
censorship, I am trying to fight info-glut.  I feel that every inappropriate
posting or junk-email I ignore is tacit permission to send me more.
"Should I chose to recieve the bulletin, there were several methods outlined
that I could certainly use to become part of the permanent mailing list.

Perhaps the thing that upset me most was the realization that the Net has begun
to emulate so closely popular media, with an increasing amount of information,
it seems that the only way to get attention to a subject is to tabloidize
and cry urgency.  On all these topics, the Womens' Political Daily is
certainly not a top offender, I have seen far worse.  Using the net to
organize at a grass-roots level is an exciting idea.  I just wanted to make
the observation that this should not be don't by sacrificing the flow of
this list.

As to the question of why males reacted to this post negatively, perhaps it
is because males are for some reason outsiders to the feminist movement.
The very observation that I am a male in reference to my posting confirms
this.  And the flip side is that, regardless of the inapropriateness of
the posting to this forum, some females may feel it necessary to support
the posting on the basis of its message, regardless of its format or mass-
mailing.  It may be that the physicality of gender influences our perceptions
and reactions, but generalizing, under any circumstace is a dangerous thing.
How essential to an understanding of feminism is being of the female gender?
Is it necessary to actively support a movement in order to explore and
discuss its philosophies?  I hope not... and even if it is, I'll keep trying.

Again, I apologize if I knocked the list off-track, but hope everyone thinks
a little bit about how they are dessimating information and what their
response is to correspondence they do not desire.  We have to try to keep
it under control while we still can.

						-Jim

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