Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 09:18:33 -0600
From: kasparek-AT-tezcat.com (K. Rengren)
Subject: Um, can we all get back to business?


so let me know if this horse is dead yet, but THIS IS WHY PEOPLE END UP
QUITTING  THIS LIST and others like it.  I'm very interested in the
discussion going on about free speech *and puppetry* - but the rest
(HAWAII, et al) is out of hand.

This is not a sounding board for our political opinions. This is a list
about puppetry. There are many things included in that, and if we end up
discussing freedom of speech as it relates to puppet theater, excellent. I
am all over it. I am very interested in discussing *the place of puppetry*
in the freedom of speech debate. We are all very different folks with a
common interest, and I am delighted that we can discuss our craft as it
relates to our differing views. I am sure I qualify as a card-carrying
agnostic lefty with a bleeding heart, but I am here to coexist with the
people whose views I don't agree with for the sake of learning more about
PUPPETRY. The beauty of the thing is that people who would normally never
converse can find where their interests on a common subject intersect.

AND THE WHOLE PURPOSE IS TO DISCUSS THE COMMON SUBJECT. Take the common
subject away, and you end up with a lot of white noise. Does anybody really
think that it's appropriate to blast off their political views, off-topic
and totally unrelated, on this list? that the thousands of people who
signed up on this list are SO interested in how you feel (left right or
whatever) about neo-nazis, or gay marriage, or Christian teaching in
schools? Please. These people are here to discuss puppetry. If it's about
politics in puppetry, if it's about censorship and puppetry, if it's about
gay Christian schoolteachers marrying neo-nazis AS DEPICTED IN THE PUPPET
THEATER, fine, fabulous,, wonderful.  Outside of that - it's alienating and
divisive.  Do you want to forward something not related to puppetry that
you feel strongly about to the friends you've made on puptcrit? Email it to
them directly. I get mail from individual members of this list all the time
when it's not something that's appropriate for the entire group. We all
feel like we have a community here - but it is a fragile one, and posting
about subjects outside the list alienates people who don't know you or
share your views.

We're here to learn from each other. But please acknowledge that when you
blast off your personal worldview outside the charter of a list, to
zillions of people around the globe, they didn't ask you for it, and you
are wasting their time.


Yours in the name of puppets,
K.




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