assistance requested for semic stomp

Daniel A. Foss (DFOSS@CCVM.SUNYSB.EDU)
Wed, 29 Jun 1994 19:31:21 EDT

Diane,

Having noted that ANTHRO-L was more bizarre than usual yesterday and
today, I have invented the Semic Stomp. The purpose of the Semic Stomp was
invented after it was implemented. The Semic Stomp, not the purpose. You
and I know ANTHRO-L as a venue where the meaning of culture and the culture
of meaning are taken Seriously. FNORD-L is on the cutting edge of The Other
Side. By The Other Side I allude to the following, which was produced for
the sole and exclusive purpose of creating the false and misleading, however
fleetingly, impresssion to the subscribers of FNORD-L that something was being
divulged to them yet withheld from ANTHRO-L (one of the rules of Semic Stomp
being Full Disclosure of course): [continued below]
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Date: Wed, 29 Jun 1994 18:18:06 EDT
Reply-To: New Ways of Thinking List <FNORD-L@UBVM.BITNET>
Sender: New Ways of Thinking List <FNORD-L@UBVM.BITNET>
From: "Daniel A. Foss" <DFOSS@CCVM.SUNYSB.EDU>
Organization: State University of New York at Stony Brook
Subject: purpose & meaning of it all...
X-cc: lizzy <neutopia@educ.umass.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list FNORD-L <FNORD-L@UBVM>

It's quite simple. ANTHRO-L@UBVM, our sister station, is a very large
list for serious social scientists. Doctress Neutopia does not feel inclined
explain herself. I myself *never was*, and for very good reason. The purpose
and meaning of FNORD-L is, therefore, to make *no less sense* of what is
sent to all of the aforementioned than any or all of the latter. Does that
suffice?

Doctress Neuotopia will join this list if and only if there is a show of
hands. Send your hand, with accompanying boxtop of healthfood cereal, to
Doctress Neutopia, 289 Triangle St Amherst MA; even better send the whole
box unopened, lizzy does not eat often; as a vegetarian, she can only count
your hand and return it to you as was.

Daniel A. Foss
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[continued]
...Where the occasion for Semic Stomp is the controversy over Relevance you
had with J Roper wherein you flattened the wretch. That is, I was about to
allude to you as New Zealand's Leading Authority on Relevance. Evidence
wherefor is: You were not challenged by anyone to the effect of, "How dare
you speak for New Zealand." Further, that you have upon no occasion cited
any fact or factoid anent New Zealand except in context of culture&personaality
viz, "3 million people and 60 million sheep." Controversial matters, such as,
eg, the government is stingy, you have contextualize in such ways as,
"except wherein they invariably fund my grant proposals."

Why is that?

Because you, Diane Bennett, have such an exquisite sense of what is
relevant.

For example:
Suppose you submitted a proposal to have the New Zealand governemt fund
a study by you of Doctress Neutopia, which would actually represent your
[ulteriorly to be sure] investigation of the cyberscrewball culture. To
Doctress Neutopia it would represent an opportunity to propagate the Gaia
religion Down Under and use you to gain access to 22-year-old males,
Australia and South Africa having proven Big Disappointments. You would
not, of course, mention in your proposal either me or what Doctress Neutopia
was doing on the night of Jan 15-16 1994; *that would not be relevant*. Nor
would your use of government funds to keep the source of data from starving
hence in existence by sending food parcels, preferably healthfood breakfast
ceral, to Doctress Neutopia, who rarely eats.

What I'd like you to do, for the Semic Stomp, which is like, you know,
a smorgasbord party, is say something New Zealandish to the subscribership
of FNORD-L which is relatively speaking semically more opaque to the
subscribership of ANTHRO-L than to them (and it hardly need be said Them).

In closing, I should note that Semic Stomp is the most fun Thingie I've
made up, without knowing it until it was too late, since the accidental
generation of *hyposemia* (q.v.) in a post to HISTORY@UBVM.cc.buffalo.edu,
Novemer 1991. Everyone who was there will always be the same.

- d.