Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 10:27:15 -0700
From: Hans Ehrbar <ehrbar-AT-marx.econ.utah.edu>
Subject: M-G: Changes at M-G impending



This morning I went back and re-read all your responses to my
announcement of the proposed changes at M-G.  The issue is so
controversial because there are many ways to skin a cat, and it would
seem perfectly feasible to leave M-G as it is.  If nothing else, the
change must seem arbitrary to you.  It is my own judgment, as a
spooner and as a long time observer of marxism space, that M-G as it
stands now has higher political costs than most of you realize.  I
also think that despite the existence of delete buttons the atmosphere
of a list can be spoiled if there are too many inappropriate postings.

Most importantly I think that most (although admittedly not all) of
the benefits of the present M-G can be realized by a different kind of
list which would also otherwise fill an unmet need in marxism-space.

The list which I hope M-G will transform itself into will be a slower
and at the same time more open, diverse, and accessible version of
marxism-international (M-I) or marxism-thaxis.  Some of you said: we
already have a list with a three-post limit in M-I, why do we need
another one with a one-post limit?  My answer: M-I not only has a
three-post limit but is also moderated by content, both explicitly by
the moderators expelling certain list members, and implicitly by the
moderators not intervening when members of M-I try to silence, drive
off, or intimidate other list members.  In M-G, as I intend to
moderate it, purges will not happen, and invectives of the form: "you
sleazy nose-picking privilege-grabbing intellectual, go back to
marxism-thaxis where you belong," will be followed up by a polite
disclaimer from the moderator that, although such invectives are not
outlawed on this list, they should not taken to represent list
consensus; such outbursts often convey considerably more information
about the author of these invectives than about their target.

There is a third kind of censorship on the busier lists: every posting
which tries to take Marx's labor theory of value seriously, or which
believes in the feasibility of non-market-driven planning, is
immediately followed up by 10 postings refuting this.  I think this is
a distortion, and I hope the one post a day limit will allow a more
balanced representation of the views and the combined wisdom of
Marxists.  At a time when the very core of marxism has become a
minority view, a list which protects minority views is especially
necessary.  And this protection cannot consist in one big
laissez-faire list and hoping for the best, but it must be a somewhat
more active protection as in the envisaged new M-G.

Despite the wishful thinking of some of its subscribers, M-G has never
been the center of marxism space; the center was usually M-I.  M-G has
been considered the madhouse which keeps the lunatics away from the
civilied regions.  If you want M-G to become the center, you have to
do some work.  Send your best postings here and don't cross post them
elsewhere.  Spend the time to make them self-contained and accessible.
Make all your arguments explicit.

I am committed as you all are to a list without any moderation.  I am
the author of the old info sheet of M-G.  I consider the present
change a tactical retreat.  If you can come up with an alternative
provider for a completely unmoderated list, then I will fully support
this.  Perhaps at some later time the spoon collective will again host
an unmoderated marxism list.


By the way, in the past I used to think that the remedy which would
make M-G a better list, would be to expell certain members.  I no
longer think so and publicly exercise self-criticism for these errors.


Hans Ehrbar.






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