[matilda] FW: these are feelings, not an argument...

[gavin at cyber-rights.net]

I support Chris' moderation. And normally I'd say it isn't 
appropriate to send personal emails to this public list, or state 
personal details etc. Because to do this would isolate people from 
the group and distract from the kind of (non-personal) discussion 
this list is for.

However, Eric's email attempted to subvert how things should work 
here. It concerned a debate about how we do things at matilda, but 
was sent off list to Joe, and was very nasty. The effect would have 
been to isolate Joe (see how Eric attempts to stop him even 
replying by saying that if Joe tried, Eric would arrange to have 
his nasty email read out in front of everyone - to humiliate Joe, 
presumably). This approach is taken rather than trying to argue 
rationally with Joe's position in matilda's public forums (which 
was NOT in fact only Joe's position, but the position taken by 
several people at Matilda). The only thing Joe could do in those 
circumstances, if he felt he couldn't just ignore the email (which, 
I agree with Douglald, would have been the best thing all round), 
would be to make the attack public himself.

So, I support Joe's decision to send that email to the list.

I don't want especially to add to the discussion, or be dragged 
into it, so this is all I'm going to say. I'm only mailing because 
I know it's not nice to be on the receiving end of nasty emails 
without expressions of solidarity, and I think Joe has done, more 
or less, the reasonable thing here.

- Gavin.




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