[Epic] Food, Off-Topic Threads and Childishness - a Public Rebuke

From: Richard Dewsbery <dewsbery_at_...>
Date: Wed, 09 Jul 1997 23:53:34 +0100

> --Ken Taborek oberon_at_... wrote:
> >Nyeah, nyeah.
>
> Obviously you don't have a life, or you would see the necessity of
> limiting the subject matter to the game. Then again, it's my choice to
> unsubscribe when children like yourself publicly saying " Nyeah - Nyeah"

You will be sorely missed. In the 5 months or so I've been on the list,
I've seen exactly two posts from you: the first was whining about other
people's off-topic posts, and the second was a further can of petrol
thrown needlessly onto the fire. On the other hand, Ken has posted
frquently - sometimes off-topic, but regularly with pertinant
information about the game of Epic40k. I would listen to your
complaints if you really had a better use of the bandwidth - clearly you
do not.

Ken posted a slightly larger message than you have credited him with
above. To selectively quote from his post in this way does him a
disservice, effectively misrepresenting his views. He told you to
lighten up first. A comment I have no trouble at all endorsing
wholeheartedly. I also take issue with the way in which you have
insulted a valued member of this list. Whether this upset Ken is not
now the issue - you have upset _me_ by making such unpleasant, and
frankly petty remarks.

> and going on for hours about food from some has-been island, start to
> dominate the list.

You are now sinking to racist comments. Either make them in a
light-hearted manner like the rest of us (and accept that it is all part
of the off-topic banter that goes on here) or desist henceforth. I take
great offence at what you have said here - your post was clearly meant
to be taken seriously, from the tone set by the rest of your post.

This was a feeble-minded attempt to start a flame-war by you - nothing
more. If you were really concerned with off-topic threads, you either
haven't been paying attention to nature of the the traffic on this list
or could not think of a constructive way to bring the list back in a
direction more to your liking. I usually take matches away from
children - if you choose to un-sub, I'm pleased that you've chosen to
put the matches out of your reach.

 Try that BS on the Warhammer 40k list and see what
> happens.

I DON'T CARE what happens on the WH40k list. It's a foreign country -
they do things differently there. (Friends of mine will now applaud my
self-restraint for saying nothing derogatory about that game.)
  
 Go private when you want to discuss the weather, time , color of
> the sky, angels on a pinhead, etc. It just makes sense if the subject
> doesn't apply to everyone. Of course, this message was written for the
> benefit of everyone else - you obviously feel it's your right to
> selfishly "clog up the drain". And respond personally, please - we're
> wasting enough bandwidth.

Oh yes, you've managed that quite nicely. I note with dismay that you
felt unable from the start to follow your own advice.
>
> Tim Brown
>
Richard

I wrote this as a personal rebuke, to be sent via private e-mail.
However, now that I have reflected on the matter, I have decided to cc a
copy to the list. I apologise to anyone else that thinks this is a
waste of bandwidth, but what is implicit in Mr. Brown's posts is that we
have all been doing this wrong - we shouldn't post messages for the fun
of it, that amuse us or others, or inform in areas of interest outside
the GW product set. I believe, like others, that the unmoderated nature
of this mailing list gives it its special atmosphere - I like to think
that I am posting my messages not to an anonymous list, but to a group
of my friends, and we can share a smile or a laugh from time to time.
It would appear that there is at least one person out there who does not
wish to be friendly. But that is OK, as he probably has a real life
(insert large emoticon representing sarcasm).

I was also extremely unhappy about the unwarranted attack on Great
Britain and Ken Taborek, and while GB is big enough not to notice Mr.
Brown's attack, I feel that Ken deserves public support against such
petty and personal attacks. Many of the regular contributors (and note
that word "contributors" well, Mr. Brown) will at some stage have fallen
foul of the standards Mr. Brown aims to set for us all; I would like to
think that the list is a friendly enough place both to accept
light-hearted, off-topic posts, and to support a valued member when he
comes under personal attack for holding views most, if not all, of us
share.

I agreed with everything Lemm and others have said in reply to the same
message quoted above, but felt that these posts did not go far enough to
put our Mr. Brown in his place (which, according to his own standards,
must be somewhere in or very near to the nursery).

Richard (whose surname is Dewsbery, if anyone wants to get really
serious and start making complaints to participants' ISPs)
Received on Wed Jul 09 1997 - 22:53:34 UTC