File spoon-archives/habermas.archive/habermas_2002/habermas.0203, message 115


Subject: HAB: RE: Keep your mouth shut
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 10:20:03 -0500


What does this have to do with Habermas?  You -- and several others -- are
wasting the time of those of us who subscribe to this list because we are
interested in Habermas.  That covers a lot of topics, so you shouldn't be
too limited, but just make some relevant and interesting connections to
Habermas' work (if you can).  Over the years this list has had some good
discussions among people of all levels of familiarity with Habermas' work
who nonetheless all shared a common interest in it and focus on it.  In the
last year or so, I've noticed that a lot of crap has driven out engaged
contributions (of course, there are many exceptions to this general trend).
You'll have missed my point if you respond that your mildly interesting
story below is all about publicity or discourse or democracy.  And I'm not
suggesting that you should "keep your mouth shut," though you might read
more.  While I personally prefer posts that deal more closely with the texts
over the chit-chat, others reasonably prefer discussions that are at least
informed by Habermasian ideas.  And I think it's great that relative experts
and beginners alike join in, but hopefully here on a Habermas list we all
show each other the courtesy of not wasting other people's time by writing
about things that we have no good reason to believe will interest others.
You are still pretty new to the list (and welcome), so you probably don't
realize the decline that has occurred, but posts like yours (and much, much
worse ones by others) have the cumulative effect of driving into
lurking-status or off the list altogether people who are really engaged with
Habermas' work.  I used to really enjoy learning from people like Joe and
Joel and Kevin, for example, but now increasingly it's just people like Fred
and Bob and you.  You're ruining a good thing.  Vic

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Thomas McDonald [SMTP:mcdonald928-AT-yahoo.com]
> Sent:	Tuesday, March 26, 2002 7:59 AM
> To:	habermas-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
> Subject:	HAB: Keep your mouth shut
> 
> Ananova: Rushdie says loving limelight will be Bin Laden's downfall
> 
> Salman Rushdie thinks Osama Bin Laden's vanity will eventually lead to
> his capture.
> 
> The author thinks Bin Laden shares a flaw Richard Nixon had.
> 
> He says he's obsessed with making recordings of himself which will be
> his downfall.
> 
> He told Spiegel magazine: "This addiction cost Nixon his office, and it
> will be the ruin of Bin Laden."
> 
> Rushdie says every tape showing the al-Qaida leader has provided clues
> to his whereabouts.
> 
> "He loves being on television, but he hasn't been for some time, so he
> must be suffering under that," he said. "He'll send another tape, which
> will offer more clues."
> 
> He said it might take years, but Bin Laden and Mullah Omar would
> eventually be caught.
> 
> Rushdie went on to compare the political system in the UK and the US,
> saying he preferred the American version. He said British politicians
> usually tried to hide bad news from the people.
> 
> "But in American politics, all that is bad eventually becomes public.
> That's why I'm convinced Lee Harvey Oswald was indeed John F Kennedy's
> murderer - if there had been a conspiracy, it would have emerged," he
> said.
> 
> "American's just can't keep their mouth shut. I like that. It's an
> important element of democracy for me."
> 
> 
> Story filed: 23:23 Monday 25th March 2002
> http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_553240.html?menu=news.latestheadlines
> 
> 
> 
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards
> http://movies.yahoo.com/
> 
> 
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> 
> 
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