Re: Love-Hounds Digest #10.363

[chrisw@fciad2.bsd.uchicago.edu (chris williams)]

In article <9501200131.AA04266@oak.cats.ohiou.edu> you write:
>Hello
>        I've always been a bit of a lurker and just have a few things to say...
>
>        a) if anyone could inform me via mail how I could maybe get one of the
>videos that are floating around (pref. the new one with the night flight
>interview) I'd be most appreciative...

    If enough people need a copy, perhaps one of the TapeTree dubbers
could be persuaded to make some additional copies. Please don't bother
writing to me...I'm not the administrator. I might be able to provide
one new S-VHS set, but only to someone who will make at least six 
additional sets.

>        b)it seems that lately every list and what-not that I'm on is having
>controversies about "cabals" and "cliques" and "flamewars."  Half the reason
>LoveHounds is refered to as cultish is because of the closeness, passions, and
>(maybe in some cases), even high-self-opinions.  Part of the reason new people
>come on board is to learn new information and communicate with
>similarly-oriented people on subjects they all share and love.  Personally I
>think people on Tori's RDT have been terrible lately when it comes to being
>"Cultish" and overanalyzing on subjects (as we tear through the meaning of "Me
>and a Gun" for the billionth time).  That overanalyzing of the most obscure
>parts of the subject's work is also what helps to scare people off.

   But nit-picking and painfully involved theorizing about minutia is
the very *essence* of fandom. It's not possible to have the depth of
knowledge displayed on LH without fanaticism. It's part of the fannish 
nature. Sheesh, you should see what it gets like in the SF "community."
When Fredrick Pohl and Issac Asimov were in a fan socity called "The
Futurians" as teenagers, the entire club wound up embroiled in lawsuits
and counter-suits.

   I agree though, RDT makes Love-Hounds look peaceful and friendly.

>        I admit I've always been fairly afraid to post here because of the
>closeness of the community because I feel a tad intrusive.

   That has not been the intention. 

>        I'm here because Kate Bush IS one of my favorite artists, the one who I
>discovered when I was first getting into music, and the one who dragged me into
>the sun and away from the radio...  But I feel, as do many others, that I could
>be flamed to high heaven if I should ask something that reveals my ignorance.

   This really doesn't happen. Most of the flamage is *between* the
regular posters, not regulars flaming newbies or people who rarely
post. (Recently, the biggest flames have been *from* newbies.)

>        I don't know much, same as a lot of "Newbies" or whatever we should
>call them/ourselves this week...  that's why I'm here.
>
>        The few times I have posted questions, everyone has been so nice, and
>WONDERFULLY receptive and helpful, that I am actually going to risk publishing
>this...
>
>        Why not just try to be receptive to everyone's opinion, whether they be
>new or one of the "Core Clique/Cabal" since I don't think anyone wants the new
>readers to run away screaming in terror.

   Agreed...as long as we agree on the meaning of the word "receptive."
If you mean, "everyone is welcome to post anything they wish as long
as they understand that everyone has the same right and may disagree,"
great.

>        I hope everyone gets what I want to say as I don't want to offend
>ANYONE with this... I just think we must all try and be a tad more relaxed and
>remember that this is a list to all bring us closer to other fans of something
>that gives us all A LOT of joy and pleasure.

>        PLEASE DON'T FLAME THIS...

   I really don't understand where this perception of random drive-by
flamage of newbies comes from. I haven't seen it. The *last* flamage
was by a group of "newbies" feeling dreadfully insecure about their
beliefs. Please show me a flame of a newbie by a regular in the past
few months. Seriously.


                          Chris Williams of
                             Chris'n'Vickie of Chicago
                               chrisw@fciad2.bsd.uchicago.edu (his)
                                 vickie@njin.rutgers.edu      (hers)