Re: Me, getting ticked off

[P3D Peter Davis <pdavis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> > > The fact that there have been scores of
> > > messages commenting on various aspects of Virtual Boy over the past couple
> of
> > > weeks is testament to the fact that it is not "of little interest to
> > > most of us 
> > > on this list." 
> > 
> > It only takes a handful of people to generate a lot of traffic.  I
> > don't think the VB mail was coming from a majority of the 700 or so
> > subscribers of this list.
> 
> I've been reading this list for a couple of years, and I have NEVER seen mail
> coming from "a majority of the 700 or so subscribers." And I don't think it
> would be too far from true to suggest that in that couple of years, there has
> probably hardly ever been any single message posted here that is of
> interest to 
> all, or even a majority of, those subscribers. If the only subjects
> permitted to 
> be discussed were those that had the approval of a quorum, the list
> would wither 
> up and die.

My point was simply that the amount of traffic on the subject of the
Virtual Boy is NOT evidence of widespread interest, as the other
poster had suggested.

> > > The purpose of this list is to discuss ALL THINGS STEREOGRAPHIC,
> > > and not merely a narrow range of subjects that happen to be of
> > > specific interest 
> > > to any member arrogant enough to assume that his tastes are
> > > everyone's tastes.
> > 
> > So now I'm assumed to be arrogant because I voiced an opinion about
> > what is or isn't relevant to this list?
> 
> As I read the note, you did't merely "voice an opinion about what is or isn't
> relevant to this list." you instructed that all further discussion about the
> stereographic game system Virtual Boy cease because it was "not
> relevant to the 
> collecting or  taking of 3D photographs," which you obviously
> consider the only 
> topics that should be discussed here, since any other stereo-related topic is
> "of little interest to most of us on this list."

Really?  Read it again.  Here's the exact text:

    Well, since there's such a profusion of Virtual Boy information on the
    net, how about dropping it from this list?  It's really not relevant
    to the collecting or taking of 3D photographs, and it probably of
    little interest to most of us on this list.

I didn't "instruct" anyone to do anything.  I did suggest that it was
not relevant to stereo-photography, which, as implied by the title, is
what I thought was the primary subject of this list.

> THAT'S the one that REALLY set me off, left me steaming for several
> hours, and 
> finally prompted me to vent.
Well, I'm certainly sorry you took it as a personal affront.  I've
tried to be reasonably objective here, in spite of being called "arrogant."

> Yes, I DO consider it arrogant for you or anyone
> else to presume to speak for and arbitrate the tastes of the majority of a
> diverse group of 800 people. I DO consider it arrogant to dictate just which
> stereo-related subjects are to be "relevant" in a general-purpose stereo
> discussion group, and which should be declared off-limits--declared
> off-limits 
> not because you aren't PERSONALLY interested, of course, but because
> they don't 
> appeal to a sufficient number of the 800 other people who have presumably
> empowered you to speak for them.

Again, I did not "dictate," and I certainly didn't "presume to speak
for and arbitrate the tastes of the majority."  I only said "How about
dropping it ..." and "It PROBABLY isn't of interest ..." [emphasis
added].  I think these qualify as a suggestion and an opinion,
respectively.
 
> Many people were obviously very interested in this stereo-related
> game, because 
> they generated dozens of messages about it over a couple of
> weeks--probably as 
> much or more "traffic" than any other subject currently under
> discussion.

Again, the number of messages is no indication of widespread interest.
How many different individuals contributed?

> As I said before, this is a group set up for the discussion of any and all
> topics relating to stereography, whether or not all 800 people on
> the list (and 
> their single self-appointed spokesman) find every single topic scintillating
> reading (in fact they are guaranteed not to!). President Clinton's foreign
> policy or the social significance of Billy Ray Cyrus are probably
> off-topic for 
> a 3D group, but a discussion of the only currently available video game that
> produces true stereographic imagery is certainly not!

Well, inflammatory language aside, I assumed that the purpose of this
group has something to do with stereo-photography.  The list is, after
all, called photo-3d.  It's not anything-3d or video-games-3d or
anything like that.

In any case, I've long since conceded the point.  The list is for
whatever its subscribers want to discuss, and if that includes Virtual
Boy, so be it.  I do, however, resent being called "arrogant" and
"dictatorial" simply because I made a suggestion and voiced an
opinion.

-pd

--------
Peter Davis                    "Education is not the             617/873-4145
BBN Educational Technologies    filling of a pail, but      FAX: 617/873-2455
70 Fawcett Street               the lighting of a fire."       pdavis@xxxxxxx
Cambridge, MA 02138                     -- W. B. Yeats

        URL:  http://copernicus.bbn.com/people/PDavis/


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