lauren%rand-unix@sri-unix.UUCP (11/01/83)
Long experience with large distribution mailing lists has very clearly indicated that "inappropriate" topics (that is, topics not relating to the primary subject matter of the list) should be moved off to other lists as quickly as possible to avoid having large numbers of people drop off the original list. By analogy, if people are subscribing to a financial newspaper, you might expect them to quickly de-subscribe if that paper starting publishing quantities of geology data instead! Since an appropriate list for the discussion of worker displacement DOES exist, I'm trying to move the discussion as quickly as possible to avoid the fallout that will otherwise occur. Some users get disgusted with a list after only a few "off the main subject" messages. While it might be argued that these users are being too "picky", we cannot afford out of hand to promote their leaving, since they often have useful comments to make about various "appropriate" topics. As I made clear in my last message, virtually anybody who receives UNIX-WIZARDS can easily receive HUMAN-NETS, so everybody who is interested can follow the discussion, while those who are NOT interested will not be forced to receive it. There is no attempt being made to stifle discussion, just to get it into the right place before "list fallout" begins to occur. As a large-list maintainer myself, I can tell you that such fallout can be amazingly easy to trigger. In light of the above, I will not comment further here on the message in question, except to state that I am fully aware of the sarcasm intended but still found the implied amusement to be distasteful and (in my opinion) inaccurately targeted in any case. --Lauren--