green@osu-eddie.UUCP (01/23/86)
From: green (Jeffrey Greenberg) Once the Falwell psychic-terrorism machine publishes it's phone numbers any communication by phone seems fair. One cannot presume what an appropriate phone response is...simply stating that one wishes to hear about donations or 'appropriate' questions obligates no one to do so - that is, when dealing with the public any response must be expected. It is presumptuous otherwise. And, one can expect to be irritated in future. And, one can expect it to be used with malice. The phone is a device of two-way communication - one can dial out and be dialed - that is what having a phone presumes. Finally, equating Falwell with abortion clinics as a means to get at the 'morality' of auto-dialing is presumptuous and reactionary. This equation sets up Falwell as stable, right-wing & religious, and the auto-dialer as an abortionist, liberal baby-killer & anti-religious. The coloring is obvious. A subtler equation might be comparing the auto-dialer to an obscene phone caller. That would portray the sense of violation that the auto-dialer has, but would portray Falwell as a mere, helpless victim - which he certainly isn't. (As for morality, I recommend reading Nietzsche). -- jeffrey greenberg 614-263-0065 cbosgd!osu-eddie!green and after march 15: ihnp4!allegra!phri!dolphy!jmg
roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) (01/25/86)
> From: green (Jeffrey Greenberg) > Once the Falwell psychic-terrorism machine publishes it's phone numbers > any communication by phone seems fair. One cannot presume what an > appropriate phone response is... > [...] > 614-263-0065 I notice that you published your phone number. Does that make it OK for me to turn my auto-dialer on you? Hardly. Come to think of it, all you have really done is put a 10 digit number in your article. Maybe I shouldn't presume it is your phone number, but rather a song to be played on a touch-tone phone? Maybe I should keep playing it until I recognize the tune! Jeff, you have given me your system's phone number so I can send you news. Does that mean it's OK for me to call your system 24 hours a day and tie up your phone lines by dumping 500 copies of every article on your system so your disks overflow? Isn't it presumptuous of me to assume that you only wanted one copy of each? There is such a thing a common sense. When Falwell tells people his 800 number, there is every indication that he intends it to be used for people to call up and talk about relegion or make pledges or hear a recorded sermon or whatever. Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you are allowed to abuse the fact that you know his phone number. -- Roy Smith <allegra!phri!roy> System Administrator, Public Health Research Institute 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016