Re: [A-List] Melvin

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

Henry writes:

As a gesture of protest, I will refrain from posting further until
Melvin is resubbed to the A-list.

-----

Well, that's going to solve our problems, no doubt. Firstly, I can hardly
force Melvin to resub -- and he already promised to vacate the list by 1
January 2005. Secondly, Melvin was given a lot of leeway, despite the
protests of others who began to suspect some sort of positive
discrimination. I freely own up to that charge, on the basis that the
discrimination was done on the basis of the high value of Melvin's
contributions to the list. But having set fairly simple guidelines to
conduct that apply to all list-members, we cannot repeatedly ignore
infringements by the same person. When Melvin chooses to abide by these
hardly onerous guidelines then he is most welcome to return of his own free
will.

Again, Henry, your attitude surprises me. I haven't forgotten your threat to
unsub from this list during Max Sawicky's brief sojourn here. And on that
occasion I agreed with you 100%, although I also encouraged Max to try to
make amends with you offlist. And though you profess not to care about the
sticks and stones that are flung around in cyber-space, you took great
exception to the resurrection of certain slanders directed against you on
LBO-Talk. Ever since Mark handed over moderating responsibilities to me, I
have tried to make this list a place where those made to feel unwelcome by
the talk-radio machismo predominant on mostly North American lists would
find a more hospitable environment. Specifically in mind were people like
you who had repeatedly expressed frustration at the imbecility of much
online discourse. Melvin's digressions were tolerated because I regarded it
as important that his views were given the space denied elsewhere, and when
Melvin was on form his posts were among the best I've ever read. But Lenin
himself would not last here a day if he were to engage in the sort of
vitriol that is expressly prohibited for reasons that should be obvious.

In addition to my long-standing concern about non-native English speakers
and particularly Third World subscribers getting a better chance of a fair
hearing, I should also point out that the sort of machismo prevalent in
North American email culture is a real deterrent to the greater
participation of women. And when epithets like "bitch" are flung around in
such derogatory fashion, like the very worst kind of hip-hop misogyny, then
it's hardly surprising that there should be so few women subscribers here.

Mark Jones died of cancer aged 55. We can speculate as to the causes of why
someone as vital as he should be taken from us so early in life. After this
little episode it occurs to me that one very plausible reason for Mark's
premature demise was his deep frustration at the circular firing squads that
seem to be the pathological behaviour pattern of the revolutionary left.
Time after time, despite his constant efforts to bring people of different
backgrounds together, he would find himself forced to choose sides in the
most petty, arcane, and wholly unnecessary disputes such as this, amid all
the very real struggles that affect us all. That sort of experience, when
coupled with the sort of personality he was, might be expected to produce
the destructive side-effect of despair, in addition to the obviously
destructive consequences for organisation and communication. How much easier
it would be to simply walk away, but how little would be accomplished.

I wish that people possessed a greater generosity of spirit and willingness
to regard those with an essentially similar interest as comrades, despite
whatever disagreements may arise from time to time. *Comrades* do not fling
insults of "liar", "punk-ass mutherfucker", "bitch", etc., at each other.
Why is this not obvious?

Michael