[net.motss] A reminder

riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) (06/23/84)

To quote from the original article announcing the creation of net.motss:

>> Net.motss is emphatically NOT a newsgroup for the discussion of whether
>> homosexuality is good or bad, natural or unnatural.  Nor is it a place
>> where conduct unsuitable for the net will be allowed or condoned.

From the beginning, net.motss was intended as a forum free from flames and
pointless pro-con arguments.  I know that once a few contributors to a
newsgroup start flaming and counter-flaming it is hard for the rest not to
join in, but is it worth it?

--- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
--- {ihnp4,harvard,seismo,gatech,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle

dyer@wivax.UUCP (Stephen Dyer) (06/24/84)

Prentiss, it's good to remind people that net.motss wasn't made to perpetuate
the argument originated in September 1983 in 'net.singles' about the goodness/
badness/naturalness/unnaturalness of homosexuality.

I would say one thing, though.  I made that comment explicit in the first
posting to 'net.motss' so that the articles which would come in wouldn't
be limited to just this topic, which ultimately is pretty boring and
self-limiting, much like the abortion issue, and there are so many more
interesting issues to discuss.

On the other hand, it is occasionally useful to serve as an educational
vehicle.  For example, I am eager to respond to Mark Terribile's questions
posed as a straight man struggling to understand just what a gay person's
experience is like (if one could ever speak for more than oneself.)
And, I wouldn't mind going just a few rounds with Paul Dubuc on issues
of morality, since I am as unconvinced of the moral arguments against
homosexuality as he seems to be convinced.

So, just speaking for myself, I don't want to rule out any subject in
particular, but it may be necessary to declare a discussion dead if
all the issues have been aired and people start repeating themselves,
with no additional light, but lots of flames.  Thankfully, a discussion
usually peters out under its own dead weight before anyone has to do this.

I am glad to see the presence of straight people with questions.
As I said before, I don't want this group to become a ghetto.
-- 
/Steve Dyer
decvax!bbncca!sdyer
sdyer@bbncca.ARPA