reply to J Roper, perversely posted to entire list

DIANE BENNETT (Diane.Bennett@VUW.AC.NZ)
Tue, 28 Jun 1994 08:06:49 +1200

Dear Jackson Roper (and anyone else too tired to delete),

In response to your query (reproduced below) I can only say that you have
just expressed a personal opinion on the list, something I guess you
thought was worth everyone's time to see. Some will agree, others will
disagree, many will think you wasted their time, and others--like me--will
continue to think there is no way to know what will interest an adequately
large fraction of the subscribers enough to post it. I often find myself
having to write to original requesters to ask if they got a reponse. And
I'm sure I miss things of interest both because they are sent privately and
because when the volume gets too great I delete indiscriminately.

As you say, there are many lists and news groups out there. It seems
easier to just follow the ones that conform more or less to your style of
communicating than to try to force several hundred people to conform to
you.

As for your quote of Bob Graber, I find it a bad--offensive,
actually--practice to quote out of context. His point was in the last
sentence, which you deleted. I didn't take time to read his whole post,
but seeing the first I guessed the message would be in the last and paged
down. I started this as a private post to you, but I see that my innate
perverseness is going to make me post it to the list as well.

And in answer to the question you are bound to ask, I have no idea what my
point in writing this is. Just felt like it.

Diane Bennett



>(The following complaint refers to a note that comes at the end of my text)
>
>I have a complaint I would like to register with this list in general, and
>am only using this mailing as an example. I do not wish this to be seen
>as an attack against the individual who wrote this note, or that persons
>ideas.
>
>Having said that, I wish to ask why so many people find it necessary to
>post responses to individuals to the entire list? Perhaps this is not the
>best case, as I am sure someone will tell me that this is information that
>is invaluable to all... However, there are *WAY* too many cases where
>someone asks a question of personal interest and people find it necessary
>
>to reply to the list. Is this because they do not understand how not to
>do this, or just feel that everything that could possibly be said is of
>value to the entire list?
>
>I know that some of you will take this as a personal attack. Please do
>not. Only consider that some of us follow several lists, and it takes a
>rediculous amount of time to scan through such a weight of responses. On
>replying to the next question posed to the list, perhaps consider this.
>
>Although there are many fascinating discussions taking place on this list,
>there is also an over abundance of chatter.
>
> On Mon, 27 Jun 1994, SS51000
>wrote:
>
>> No, you should not become an anthropologist. Getting advanced degrees
>> is a relatively risky undertaking--much less rationalized than in fields
>> such as medicine or law. You can run afoul of nasty professors who
>> will sabotage your whole career. If you avoid all the political and
>> personality pitfalls and get a Ph.D., it will only entitle you to
>> compete with a million or so other misguided souls for a few openings
>> that ... (the rest was deleted)