So shoot me

[stevew@hal.com (Steve Williams)]

Let me offer a  [theory|feeling]  (each side choose appropriate
term) on the current riot taking place here in Love-Hound Land.

About a year ago, give or take 6 months, Jorn became tired of
what he saw as the then-ubiquitous tendency amongst Love-Hounds
for constant knee-jerk flaming, personal attacks, and
unresponsiveness toward submissions that expressed "feeling". 
He wrote a few emotional, but generally accepted articles
deploring that state of affairs (which didn't necessarily bother
all of us), and then he started the "WarmRoom" mailing list and
more or less withdrew from everyday Love-Hounds participation.

For whatever reasons, WarmRoom never really developed.  Jorn
tried hard (and well) to seed the discussions, but things just
didn't get rolling.  (I signed up even though I had no problem
with anything taking place with L-H.  Like many, though, I was
there mainly as a taker, not a giver, just to see what there was
to see.)  Anyway, WarmRoom fizzled as a mailing list, partly
because of low activity and partly, I now gather, because of
some logistical/political problems.  Whatever.

Now here comes good old Jorn back to Love-Hounds, and many
(most?) of us long-timers were probably glad to see him back.
Glad that he'd be contributing; glad that he hadn't completely
written the group off; glad that he'd be providing his
perspective; even glad that he'd be there to prickle the
stalwart Drukman, and be around to *be* prickled by Jon.  Face
it -- until KaTe either puts that next album out or heads out on
the tour she hinted at during the Konvention, all we've got is
one another plus the moderate distraction of answering the
questions of the newbies.

Like I said, here's Jorn back in L-H, making a mildly goofy but
intriguing proposal about emotional state being preserved on
certain material objects.  (I'm over-generalizing here to avoid
getting into the actual subject of debate.)  His article
provoked the typical range of responses, most of them by
doubters and a few of those exhibiting the usual *moderate*
flamage and/or baiting.

Suddenly, Jorn shifts into TERMINATOR mode, brutally slamming
anyone and everyone.  Mean, crude, calculated personal attacks
blatantly designed -- begging -- to incite others to slip into
the same ugly mode.

I think it's all intentional, and sad.  By definition, the Jorn
of old could never have written the things we've seen lately,
and he wouldn't have endured the things written back.  For
whatever reason, Jorn has (this is only my weak theory), come
back into L-H determined to overdo the very things that he
decried before when he partially withdrew.  How far can he push
people?  Pretty far apparently, without even trying very hard.
How long will he continue?  As long as others keep it going.
He's making a point, and the point has nothing to do with
emotional imprinting of magnetic media or anything else.

Jorn:  If I'm completely off the mark here -- and I sure could
be, because I'm struggling to understand the most viscious,
hateful behavior I've seen in this group in years, coming from
the most unlikely source I can imagine -- then you can correct
me once (nicely, please) and I'll stand corrected.  But if I'm
even partially right, then why don't you consider your point
made and let it go?  If you can't let it go, then why don't all
parties wrap it up here in this particular public forum and move
the hate into private mail or some other more appropriate
newsgroup or mailing list?

Jon, Larry S., Angelos, Lazlo, others:  Drop it.  Let it go. 
Either you're being baited by a pro or you're dealing with
someone whose smoke-addled fanaticism has a much longer
half-life than any of us can survive.

I'm sorry I even had to write some of this.  Next, I'll probably
be sorry I ever sent it.

-- Steve
   "It is this that brings us together." -- KB
   (Yeah, right...)