File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/97-03-01.214, message 80


From: Carrol Cox <cbcox-AT-rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu>
Subject: Re: M-I: Treating "Stalinists" in a comradely manner
Date: Sat, 1 Mar 1997 09:46:40 -0600 (CST)


Louis,

    Jerry can't do serious damage to the list as long as we don't
respond to his provocations. The only *official* rule of this list,
as I understand it, is the 3-post limitation. That should be
fairly rigorously enforced, but beyond that one begins to get tied
up in all the metaphysical problems of enforcing some ban on
content that goes "beyond the limits." Sometimes one has no choice
but to get involved in such "boundary" disputes; for example, I
do favor efforts to silence racists in public forums, but ordinarily
I would wish to do so by means other than appealing to state authority,
because state authority is always a multiple-edged sword. So would
moderator authority be on this list if they were asked to moderate
on the basis of content.

    Even for those members of the list who for financial or
other reasons have limitations on their e-mail use can, I think,
use the delete key on Jerry 3 times a day; follow Doug's recently
announced principle on Jerry. Don't respond to his provocations.
It will be good practice for handling more dangerous provacateurs
in non-cyberspace contexts.
    Carrol


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