It is obvious that the situation can only be cleared if one of both leaves. Judy
decided to be the one - for her own sake and for the list's. A consequent
decision. But shouldn't we remember how all this started? Shouldn't we remember
that Judy more than once asked Terry not to reply to her postings and that she
explained why she felt offended? Shouldn't we remember that more than once Terry
ignored her entreaty? Judy's request was no case of attempted censorship: She
never asked Terry not to reply to other people's mail. She simply begged for
not to reply to HER postings, because she had no possibility to handle the
nature of Terry's notes without flying into a rage. She may not have had the
right for this demand, as anybody on a public mailing list is allowed to give
his opinion. But it certainly was her right or even her duty to ask for a
solution for this problem. For whatever reason Terry decided not to respect her
wish. It is interesting to note that although he knew that not altering anything
would lead to Judy's unsubscription, he said "Please stay, your leaving would be
a great loss for the list" - and continued as usual.
I found it completely acceptable that Terry did not understand Judy's reaction
on his postings. Their characters may be too different. And he certainly doesn't
want to get on anybody's nerves. His commitment for alt. photography deserves
appreciation. But how can one refuse to even consider the possible correctness
of a position one doesn't understand? Was it really asking too much to get
ignored? If so, why? Without another explanation I find such behaviour a lack of
respect for a colleague of merit.
Meanwhile the situation escalated and the end was programmed like a chain
reaction. Both Judy's and Terry's final mails I find beneath them. For all the
three reasons mentioned above I will now unsubscribe to the list for a while. I
must concentrate on new projects during the next months. To those who offered
support and didn't hear from me: The ORIGINAL edition I mentioned some time ago
isn't dead yet - it only fell asleep. I hope I can wake it up again next summer.
Should anybody of you need any help - esp. with carbon printing - please note my
e-mail adress and don't hesitate to contact me.
Best regards,
Klaus Pollmeier
100561.2417@compuserve.com