In the end, I have to agree that I don't want to have
this discussion on
this list. When I read this list, I want a nice fantasy bastion.
I can
read the paper for reality. Please feel free to email me directly
if you
so wish.
That's why we have the "off topic" flag.
There are very few arenas available for discussions such as
this with such a wide range of participants from such a wide
range of backgrounds. It's good to be able to exchange views
with people from other backgrounds. That's a small step
to eliminating parochialism.
If you want to see rampant demagoguery, just step into any of
the open Yahoo forums for a while... Mind boggling!
> There are very few arenas available for discussions such as this with
> such a wide range of participants from such a wide range of
> backgrounds. It's good to be able to exchange views with people from
> other backgrounds. That's a small step to eliminating parochialism.
Unfortunately, there's no such thing as "exchanging views" on the Internet. Political discussion turns into a giant flame-fest almost without exception, and ends up driving people off the list (I know of one individual in particular).
We need more ME players to read this list and give their input. 500 message political threads drive people away, if only because of their bulk, not to mention their heat.
