llf@houxz.UUCP (08/26/83)
I'm posting this to net.women to see if I can make a point. The first part
is mail that I received in response to a statement I posted questioning
the usefulness of net.women.only.
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I don't see how you could keep men out of net.women.only. Would you
stay out of net.men.only? Admittedly, there are topics which would fit
nicely into such a category, but do they really belong on the net at all?
How about getting a list of women interested in such a group and sending
mail?
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you'd better pipe this through an asbestos filter!
/* FLAME ON */
Do you really think that topics that are only of interest to wom-
en don't belong on the net? That topics of specific (but not ex-
clusive) interest to women are less important and valuable than
those of men? Would such discussions be less suitable for the
net than those on the "G" spot, toilettiquette, and slugs? And
as for a "net.men.only", the whole bloody net REEKS of "men
only"! The whole purpose of having a separate group is so that
women could discuss the things that matter to them without having
to defend the validity of each topic. The general climate of the
net puts us in an adversary position; we're just trying to avoid
endless flames by establishing a newsgroup the name of which is a
caveat to men who chose to read it. I've already been
corresponding with a number of women and we discussed the idea at
length before presenting it to the net. Apparently it's alright
with you if we indulge in a little "girl talk" among ourselves so
long as we don't put it on the net where some man might have to
see it. Well, if it's in a group named net.women.only and he
reads it, he has only himself to blame.
/* FLAME OFF */
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no, I don't think that 'topics that are only of interest to women don't belong
on the net'. They do. Or at least some of them do; then again, some of
them don't.
no, neither did I state that such topics are 'less important and valuable than
those of men'. I also never said that I thought 'the "G" spot, etc.' were.
I also never condemed your ideas or suggestions as allowing anyone to 'indulge
in a little "girl talk"', as derogatory as you make that sound.
It is true that it would be nice to have a forum where 'women could discuss the
things that matter to them without having to defend the validity of each
topic'. In fact, it would be even nicer if we could have a forum where
EVERYBODY could talk and not have to defend their ideas from random or
erroneous interpretation. Especially if no one had to defend an opinion
which others read as fact.
You also state that you feel that 'the general climate of the net puts us in
an adversary position'. I'm wondering how many also feel that way. Perhaps
I could run a survey. I, for one, have never felt that the situation was
as serious as that. The only 'adversary position' that I've ever been
involved in have been with individuals, and even that changes with the
discussion.
I don't think that net.women.only would be any more tolerant than net.women.
There are too many groups that work at excluding other groups already. I'd
prefer to see the present net renamed as net.people so that the net.women
could be used for "girl-talk" (which is just as valid as "boy-talk", and
more interesting to me anyways). Perhaps if you started using net.women for
'net.women.only' topics, it would become a virtual net.women.only. I'd
start, but I really don't have anything to say yet.
Lyndahammy@mit-eddie.UUCP (J. Scott Hamilton) (08/29/83)
(This note is in reply to Lynda's mention [request?] of "girl-talk" on net.women) Please forgive my masculine intrusion into "girl-talk", but it has always been a topic that has interested me. On this note, I read somewhere that when women are living in the presense of men (no flames about details, please) that their period becomes more regular. Also, that when two women are living in each other's presense, their periods begin to match cycles. These two topics are of special interest to me, since I am now dormed with two women. I have been sympathetic with the way Nature can wreak havok with a women's body, and I was curious how this living situation would modify things. -- J. Scott Hamilton !genrad!mit-eddie!hammy