david@ukma.UUCP (David Herron, NPR Lover) (02/16/85)
References: <2346@nsc.UUCP> <799@sdcsla.UUCP> In article <799@sdcsla.UUCP> norman@sdcsla.UUCP (Donald A. Norman) writes: >Something nasty and quite inappropriate society seems to be taking >place. I decided to ask Gary (Perlman) just what it was that happened that >caused his decision. His response was quite distrubing, at least to me: <A long quote from Gary Perlman detailing the attacks on him> >This goes far beyond the normal flames and diatribes we see on the net itself. >The only parallel I can think of comes from those who physically attack and >abuse the homes of people whose public policies they disapprove of. >I find it appalling. I would be tempted to take legal action against the >culprits. The net -- and normal life -- can only survive if we practice >tolerance against one another. Personal attacks and verbal abuse simply should >play no role in the kinds of discussions we have on the net. I too find this hard to live with. Fortunately nobody I've talked with on here has acted in such a manner... I'm curious as to what legal action *you* could take against them. They haven't injured you in any way. They have injured Mr. Perlman. But they have done so in private. Calling someone a bastard in private is different from calling them a bastard where other people can hear them. I am tempted to say that one should fight fire with fire. I don't think courts of law are the proper place to settle private arguments. Especially where, as in this case, one party is so outrageously out of line. Tolerance is fine until someone steps out of line. Societies work until lots of people are stepping out of line. I am of the opinion that one does not stop people from stepping out of line by running away from them. I tried that once with a society I was once in. (There were numerous people abusing this particular computer to the point where they were in danger of losing the computer entirely). I committed a public "suicide" not too much unlike Mr. Perlman's. It didn't change a bloody thing. People talked about it for a month or so, but didn't change their habits. I don't know of a better way to solve it (either that problem then or this problem now). Shooting the same type of flames back might be satisfying for a time. But is not a good solution. Because then it would be society stepping out of its own line to correct a piece of itself. Which would be a bad precedent to set. Public exposure of the culprits might help. It would be kind of like the stockades from colonial times. Any other ideas? -- -:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:--:- -:-David Herron; -:-ARPA-> "ukma!david"@ANL-MCS or david%ukma.uucp@anl-mcs.arpa -:-ARPA-> Or even anlams!ukma!david@ucbvax.arpa -:-UUCP-> {ucbvax,unmvax,boulder,research}!anlams!ukma!david -:-UUCP-> {mcvax!qtlon,vax135,mddc}!qusavx!ukma!david -:-UUCP-> {A-Large-Portion-of-The-World}!cbosgd!ukma!david