Re: List Cleansing or capital punishment

Luis Nadeau (nadeaul@nbnet.nb.ca)
Wed, 13 May 1998 22:58:42 -0300

At 6:31 PM -0300 98/05/13, Leticia and Byron Brauchli wrote:
>I CANNOT Just sit around and think nothing is happening. I am an outsider
>-I am not a photographer, but I live with one,

What is it with these lurkers?

Yesterday someone who admitted himself that he was incapable of making a RC
print was voicing the same opinion. Today we have this freeloader and I
expect that tomorrow someone who is considering fathering a child who might
be a photographer someday will be telling us how to conduct our business.

>I am not an American with a
>long tradition of "democracy"- but I will venture my opinion, with the risk
>that you want to silence me. How is it that Judy and Luis go about business
>as usual, pretending that they just care about "important" matters such as
>voicing an opinion on "processes"... I found this very hypocritical and a
>clear show of power. Even when sometimes I don't agree with Terry and can
>sympathize with Judy's remarks, this act of exclusion and forcing Terry out
>is a blatant exercise of power in the name of political correctness. As far
>as I am concerned, Terry, Judy and Luis engage in a self promotional "my
>book, my opinion" "if you want to know more, enroll in my workshop".

Contrary to Terry King, who at one point had no less that five consecutive
posts luring people to his Hands On Workshops, I have not offered workshops
on alt-photo processes since the 80s and my contribution here is a pure
subsidy from my part. I'd make a lot more money if I wasn't here. Since
1979 I have been turning down about 90% of the lucrative work offered to
me, including workshops, for lack of time. I work just enough to pay most
of the bills most of the time and the rest goes straight into the
production of research tools now used in over 30 countries. And, by choice,
this is all done without grants and without formal academic recognition. I
turn down all projects that expect me to take an *active* part in grant
applications. I never got used to wearing kneepads...

I did what I did when I saw the underdog being attacked again. The minute
rave reviews of Judy's publication started to pour in I knew that Terry was
squirming. Sure enough (he is so predictable) without even seeing Judy's
new publication he tried to jump on it with both feet. I knew right away we
were on a collosion course. You know the rest: Terry hanged himself. If you
can't see this I suggest you consult with your seeing-eye dog.

>them? Let's restore democracy and open dialogue. I am a true believer in
>that "american" dream, called free speech.

The same free speech that advocates spamming and neonazism. You have as
much free speech as you need here. Tell us that you and Terry want to start
your own mailing list and we'll be happy to inform listmembers where they
can reach you.

I told Terry several times that he should start his own list if he believes
he has as many friends as he says he does. He certainly has all kinds of
time on his hands. The fact is that he knows damn well he wouldn't be able
to get 10 subscribers to his list, 9 of which wouldn't be able to make a RC
print to save their life.

IMO, a list is like a schoolroom, except this room has 525, oops sorry, 524
students in it. If it were up to me there would be a lot more discipline.
Look at the Conservation Dist List with some 1,300 subscribers. Everything
is moderated and you get one "journal" once or twice a week. Those who need
a list as an answer to an inferiority complex don't stay very long. A
list's success is not measured by the large number of its freeloaders and
troublemakers. It's measured by the quality of its participants and their
exchanges on the topic for which it was created, which happens to be
Alt-photo stuff on this one. Not free speech, abortion, the civil war in
Algeria, whatever.

What I don't understand is why lurkers who profit from everything without
giving anything back are the only ones who need these explanations.

Luis Nadeau
NADEAUL@NBNET.NB.CA
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
http://www3.nbnet.nb.ca/nadeaul/