[log in to unmask] writes: > > > As a point of information, most of the difficulties I have encountered have > > been with people from a militant homesexual rights group, who turn every > > discusssion (would you believe discussions of GRAMMAR, even!) into very > > unpleasant attacks on society for their treatment of gays. Anyone else on > > the list, who tries to stick to the topic, is personally vilified for their > > "insensitivity" to the plight of oppressed people. > > I'm not at all familiar with the current flaming on either list,but I can see > why people on Ms. Tillyer's list might be upset. Militant homesexual [sic] > rights group? Come on. Let's leave the homophobic polemics at the door, and > stick to discussions about what can make us better moderators and owners. > > Steve Carr > Co-moderator and Owner, The Progressive Jewish Mailing List > 1) let's face the truth as it is and not pretend that people who plug allegedly good causes are good people. If Tillyer is having trouble with militant homosexuals, that's who he is having trouble with. Some lists have trouble with born-again Christians, some with right-to-lifers, some with feminists, some with Republicans and some with Marxists. It doesn't matter who they are, it's how they do what they are doing. I don't believe the moderator should be accused of homophobia. 2) My way of handling these things is to post a notice to the list outlining its purposes, and setting minimum rules of decent behavior. This serves as fair warning. I generally say that ALL expresssions of opinion are welcome, provided that the usual methods of scholarly discourse prevail -- which is that opinion is labelled as opinion, and facts are documented in the usual way, with proper references. Ad hominem attacks are simplty not permitted. Anyone violating these rules then knows he is subject to being bounced, and I have no hesitation about bouncing them. So far (thank god) my lists have run quite well despite some very controversial topics. 3) Which raises a subject for study by our mass comm people. How does one prevent organized pressure groups from taking over any public forum? Remember radio hot-line shows and how auickly political parties learned to get their followers all calling in at once and occupying all lines? ********************************************************* * Jan George Frajkor + + * School of Journalism + __!!__ + * Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada + -- -- + * -- [log in to unmask] -- + ___!!___ + * 613 788-7404 fax:613 788-5604 + --- --- + **************************************+ || + + / \ + + /\/ \/\ + + / \ / \ + + + *******************