Re: [CH] List has changed... Not!

=Mark (mstevens@exit109.com)
Thu, 16 Aug 2001 17:27:48 -0400 

At 11:19 AM 8/16/01 -0600, you wrote:
>I've subscribed to chile-heads digest since the start of the second volume, 
>about 7 years, and yesterday I was dismayed at the attack on Rael.  Are you 
>attackers who call him a Luddite all genetic manipulators then?  Many 
>scientists are opposed to GM for various good reasons, and they're far from 
>Luddites.  The only people who defend that practice are those who are 
>ignorant of it,

That comment is as all encompassing a generality as the Luddite one.  There
are plenty of very intelligent scientists who embrace the technology for
the good it can do.  There was similar aversion to the "Unnatural" practice
of innoculating people with cowpox 150 years ago to prevent smallpox.  They
were afraid people would start sprouting cow parts.

And no, I don't think the list has changed much...

Hey!  Attacking Rael can be a good thing.  If not for attacks on some of
his posts a few years ago we would not be proudly proclaiming ourselves as
Chilehead Knuckledraggers!

I think the problem is that the influx of newbies onto the net has resulted
in a larger percentage of folks who don't understand nettiquette.  they are
too thin skinned when dealing with healthy debate that is supposed to
comprise the give and take of such a forum.  

<GRANDPA MODE>
Back on the "old days" internet forums and private Bulletin Boards (BBSs)
encouraged healthy debate and tolerated mild flame wars provided that A)
statements of opinion were regarded as such. B) no personal attacks were
tolerated.  C) If statements were presented as fact, they darn well better
be able to back them up.   Participants could agree to disagree and nobody
was the worse off for a little text one-upmanship.  Many in fact found
these debates stimulating and entertaining.
</GRANDPA MODE>

Nowadays the net is sprinkled with lots of whiny net-cop wannabe do-gooders
who take it upon themselves to try to moderate what theyt see as a "Bad
Thing."  I say Piffle!  Those who have been on this and other lists for any
lenth of time pretty much get to know the regular cast, and can pretty much
predict when certain issues arise who will come down on any side of the
topic.  I say a spirited debate is a "Good Thing,"  especially in this case
where the argument was in fact begun as chile related.  If it started as a
debate over the ethics of drilling in the arctic I would have been less
tolerant.

I don't even think the Neo Luddite comment was made or taken in a bad way,
I'm sure Rael is wearing it like a badge.  He has in fact contacted me
off-list and has sent me sources of info that were pretty interesting, I
still have to get back to him and point out the error of his ways...  Oops!

:-)



                    =Mark "Runs With Scissors" Stevens

                @ http://www.exit109.com/~mstevens @
                                  @ ICQ# 2059548 @

                         Dyslexic, Agnostic, Insomniac...

           Lying awake at night, wondering if there is a Dog.