Replicant00@aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 6/24/2000 9:16:38 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> bdelaney@infinitefaculty.org writes:
>
> > Towards the Good (with not everyone on board, unfortunately),
>
> You don't seem very good- by the mean things you say
(First: "towards," not "at.")
And you don't seem to be veyr good, because you've:
1) singled out one of several people all of whom could easily be
claimed to have said "mean" things;
2) not realized -- it appears -- that things that appear to be
mean might be something else entirely (attempts to help people
see their own meanness, attempts to improve others -- and even
oneself -- by revealing less than stellar behavior, or simply:
attempts to defend oneself against thoughtless, narrow, perhaps
even malevolent or cult-like interpretations of one's critical
questions and comments, etc.).
But at least we both said "seem." There's hope -- some.
These interactions are rapidly turning me into an
anti-Extropian, I must say. Disappointing, snce I like so many
of y'all. Ah well. Where's John Grigg when you need him?
(I have the disturbing feeling of having challenged the tenets
of a cult. See Rosabeth Moss Kanter's _Commitment & Community_
-- could be instructive.)
I think I'll not respond for a day or two publicly. If Natasha
or someone else wants to engage in more catharsis (or whatever
on Earth it is -- attempt at group-solidification via Othering
of putative threats? -- See Kanter), by calling my
"mean-spirited," "rude," or whatever, feel free. I can't say I
won't ever respond, but I won't soon.
If I could encourage Natasha and others to consider one thing
(the encouragement of which should not be taken to mean I think
I'm in no need of "considering things" here), it would be this:
questions of form ("politeness," etc.) are not so easy to
separate from questions of content (whether Extropianism is
libertarian or whatever). Do Extropians tend not to read Plato?
Fascinating thinker -- esp. about this form/content issue.
Make the best of the weekend.
Goodward,
-Brian.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Jul 27 2000 - 14:14:14 MDT