Re: Totally Off Topic

["Stephen P. Goodman" <spgoodman@earthlight.net>]

Thanks for erring on the side of democracy and free speech, then, Kim!  One
finds that over time most long-lasting online communities self-equalize in
the manner you've seen, and that outbreaks like those following the Sept. 
11
Atrocities are more than natural given what happened.  Perhaps someday one
or several of us will write about the quasi-organic nature of this kind of
thing.

From: "Kim Flint" <kflint@loopers-delight.com>
> I don't believe in censorship, or dictatorships of any sort. I think a
> community should be able to sort out its own problems, and take
> responsibility for it's own actions, both as individuals and as a group.
> That's how I "run" this list. In other words, this list is basically
> operating as an anarchical community. To me that does not mean chaos or
> lack of responsibility for one's actions, it means everybody is *equally*
> responsible for the success and well-being of the group.
>
> That being said, the truth is I was one mouse click away from permanently
> banning a number of people from this list during that particular week. 
>Not
> for whatever argument they were making, but for simply refusing to 
>respect
> the list and rest of the group. I decided to sleep on it, and the next
> morning changed my mind about exercising that much power and setting that
> precedent. The principle worked and the community sorted itself out 
>within
> a few days, saving me the trouble. I was glad that it worked out that 
>way,
> and I think it's generally a testament to the good qualities of this 
>group
> that it did.
>
> kim
>
>
> At 10:43 AM 10/10/2001, K. Douglas Baldwin wrote:
> >Dear Loopers-
> >     A sincere thanks to all who helped with my search for the elusive
band
> >Chrysalis and what has become of their members. Special props to Kevin
> >Miller, Jim Palmer, James Pokorny, and especially to Dr. Richard Zvonar,
who
> >led me to the motherlode.
> >     A brief comment, again off-topic: In the days immediately following
> >September 11, we were all enmeshed in a swirl of communication regarding
the
> >tragedy of that day. At that time, I subscribed to two newsgroups: the
Boss
> >GT-3 multi-effects pedal gang, and, obviously, the Looperheads. The GT-3
> >group fell to a lower level of argument, and the group overlord 
>(whatever
> >you call guys like Kim) actually CENSORED many people's comments before
they
> >were posted. I unsubscribed in protest and urged others to do the same.
On
> >the other hand, the vibe here at Loopers Delight, while very emotional
and
> >quite off-topic at times, remained very positive overall. A special
> >thank-you to Kim for remaining cool in the face of so much
back-and-forth,
> >and not once even mentioning the words "off topic."
> >     I believe that the process of looping has a positive instructive
> >quality: we continuously reexperience our actions. Because of this, I am
> >continuously warmed by the good vibes of Loopers Delight.
> >     Group hug!
> >Douglas Baldwin, Alpha male Coyote, the Trickster
> >dbaldwin@suffolk.lib.ny.us
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> Kim Flint                     | Looper's Delight
> kflint@loopers-delight.com    | http://www.loopers-delight.com
>
>
>
>