From: Phil Osborn (philosborn2001@yahoo.com)
Date: Tue Jun 03 2003 - 21:30:22 MDT
Please reference my post:
<http://www.extropy.org/exi-lists/extropians/0305/8745.html>
My point there and here is that some usages are
inherently incompatible, and when you attempt to mix
them, you get instability that requires a lot energy
input to keep within bounds. For the Libertarian
Party, the incompatibility came from trying to promote
and advance free inquiry into the nature and means of
a true revolution, while simultaneously trying to
attract as many warm bodies as possible to vote for
candidates.
The "salon" model is perhaps the closest to what is
workable and desirable. One of the things that one
expects to happen at a salon is that people will be
outrageous, sometimes to get attention, sometimes to
force consideration of an issue that gets shoved under
the table repeatedly. Such people can be laughed at,
ridiculed, humored, whatever. However, they serve at
least one useful purpose, regardless of the merits of
what they present to us: they demonstrate that there
is in fact an atmosphere of free inquiry. Without
that, the salon is just another fashion clique, and
any credibility is purely incidental.
Unfortunately, some people on this list are typically
so worried that someone might post something that
would be "embarrassing" to extropianism that at many,
many points in the past this has served to either
stifle real free discussion, or generated a huge
amount of heat with little light, with various threats
- overt or implied - to exclude participants due to
the emotions their positions evoked. This response
itself tends to DIScredit any credibility of the list.
The only proper response - assuming that one considers
the forum to worth preserving - is to demonstrate the
impotence of such threats by being even more obnoxious
and outrageous, even if one is disinclined to be so by
nature. Then, if that does not result in banishment
or censorship, we can feel reasonably assured that the
forum is still free.
I would suggest, therefore, that everyone attending
this salon of, for and by the future take it upon
themselves to make at least one truly outrageous post
every month or so, just as an ongoing test and proof
to those who might feel that at least a chilling
effect was present, and an encouragement to those
people who have genuinely good ideas but who cringe
from facing the social embarrassment or ostracism, the
snide remarks, etc. that always emerge from those who
haven't anything good to add.
If the list is supposed to be an advertisement for
extropianism, with everyone lined up in their suits
and flowered dresses, scrubbed clean and then
airbrushed after the fact, then it rather defeats the
purpose anyway. No real extropian would want to
participate in that kind of farce.
If it's about a forum for ideas, a free-for-all for
the people who are in the business of trying new
things and exploring new and radically different
approaches, which it often is, then forget those
suits. Bring wrenches, crowbars and intellectual
bulldozers. Dress for the day: flak jackets and
jeans.
There should be and are specific discussion groups
that limit membership and control submissions. There
is nothing wrong with that in a group of experts in a
field who are pursueing narrowly defined interests
within a precise protocol.
Extropy, however, is NOT a narrowly defined interest,
and by its nature is likely to generate an infinite
variety of chaotic nodes. That doesn't mean that a
lot of posts frankly stink. It happens, and we should
point that out. SO WHAT? If someone really annoys
you, don't read him or her, or, if it pleases you,
jump all over their case, refute everything,
demonstrate that they are morons, make them eat their
words, revel in it.
Just don't kill the salon because someone says
something you don't like. Grow up.
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