An occasion for self-inventory

[jorn@MCS.COM (Jorn Barger)]

If my Prodigy-parody didn't make this entirely clear, let me state that
the reason I object to my words being used in the FAQ is that *I do not
recommend this group to anyone*.  I more often warn people off this group.

When I wrote the FAQ (by no means an assemblage of pre-existing text),
the situation here seemed much more promising, but I feel that those
words now only serve to mislead newcomers... and it's newcomers that
I'm primarily addressing now...

Despite its long (by Usenet standards) history, rec.music.gaffa has
not yet begun to have a sense of community, although there is an
*appearance* that can fool you, until you examine it.  When a
newsgroup develops a sense of community, what you see is a loose group
of longtime readers who have seen the same conflicts so many times
that they share a deep, *indissoluble* common vision, and newcomers
can accommodate to that, and profit from it.

Here on r.m.g, Chris Williams *seems* to have the respect and support
of Andy Marvick, Peter Fitzgerald-Morris, and Peter Byrne Manchester,
and if things were as they appear, this could suffice as such a
community base.  But I'm afraid that the real situation is that Andy
and Peter and Peter simply aren't very interested in the problems of
community-building, and they're simply deferring to Chris because they
have no strong commitment at all (and he does)...

I'm certainly willing to be proved wrong about this!  I think *any*
community-building is welcome, and I contend that its absence here is 
so grave that any newcomer off the street could make a real, positive
difference, simply by exhibiting the simplest levels of rationality...

But just because it's simple doesn't mean it's *easy*.  A sense of
community has to include an agreement about what's fair and unfair,
what's kind and unkind, what should be allowed and what forbidden.
And r.m.g is plagued by juveniles who define these boundaries in
utterly arbitrary, selfish and ill-considered ways... and have no
compunction about enforcing their whims with perfect savagery.

What to do?

Start with this: as you listen to Kate tonight, broadcasting live to
North America for the first time since 1978, ask yourself seriously
*what r.m.g might become that would make Kate proud*...

jorn

,,....;; ::'        .,;       .........,;,                     oo
 '  ,;'  ::          ::            ::                            \___
   ::    ::     .,:  :: ,';,       ::                            /~  \
   :: .  ::         ,;:'  '    ....::.,;,                       /  \ |
'''::''' ::      ,:;;.;;.,;,       ::                               ||
   ::    ::    ''::...::.,;,       ::                              _|\__
  ,::    ::      ::...::.,;,       ::                         """;;;;;;;;\
   ::    ':..;'  ::...::.,;,  .....::..,;,              ///"""""""";;;;;;;\
                                            ___////+++++""""""""""""";;;;@@\
                              __________///////++++++++++++++""""""""@@@@%%|
                   ....__/0)///0)//0)//0)/++////////++++++++++"""@@@%%%%%/
             ..---0)/--------////////////////+++++++/////+++++@@%%%%%%%/
              ..///---0)---0)///0)//0)///0)/////////+++++====@%%%%%%/
           ...0)....//----///------////////////+++++///=    \\ \\/
              //../0)--0)///0)///0)///0)//++++/////          \| \|
              --///--------///////////+++/////              _/   |
          .-//..0).-/0)--0)--0)--0)--..                          |
                .......--/////////.                             _|
                       .0)..0)..