[ga] private filters are private blinkers

[Joop Teernstra <terastra@terabytz.co.nz>]

At 17:38 25/01/00 -0800, Karl Auerbach wrote:

>I remind everyone that unless one is using ancient e-mail tools, each of
>us has the personal technogy to avert his/her own electronic eyes from
>things coming from people we find unacceptable.
>
>If you don't like Joe B. or Jeff W., then set up your own private filters.
>If you need help setting them up, just ask.
>

Karl,

Were it only so simple. 
What if a person tell the list that the IDNO has only 35 members (instead
of 160) and  Andrew picks this up and uses it as a basis for advising the
Board?

What if half of the list has filtered this person because of his offensive
language?

What if the result of that filtering is that lies go unrefuted?

Private filters are unworkable if anything meaningful is going to take
place on this list.
Private filters are private blinkers.  They cause  bad judgement.

OTOH, I also think that Harald's rules are not going to give us Civil
Discourse, because they lack a complaints/apology system. 
People can still be as offensive and provocative as they like and this will
 guarantee that the list will continue to be full of noise in response.

--Joop Teernstra LL.M.--  , founder  of
the Cyberspace Association,
the constituency for Individual Domain Name Owners
http://www.idno.org  (or direct:) 
http://www.democracy.org.nz/idno/