[Reader-list] Lists and assaults

[mahmood farooqui]

Thanks Rana and Jeebesh...I have suffered some bewilderment too in
dealing with this, er, deluge, if I may call it so. I have had the
urge to point people to arguments rather than positions but have
refrained from doing so for fearing that it would be ineffective. I
have seen others trying to widen the ambit of the debate,
unsuccessfully. I admit to a certain sense of helplessness too. On the
other hand, there is also the sense of occasional vouyerism-I could
not help but take peeks, from time to time, to check the depths being
plumbed. Particularly by those who should have known better. Dignified
silences--maintain them as we might, in turning away from the
cacophony we do end up surrendering to the mob(s). Is there another
way out?

On 08/09/07, Jeebesh Bagchi <jeebesh at sarai.net> wrote:
> Thanks Rana for beginning a reflective thread.
>
> This is probably a rare instance in the list, when a big "event" is
> not the center of discussion. List usually does well with "big
> events", as it ensures, that many drop in a few lines about what they
> feel, or what they oppose or what can be done etc. A kind of public
> positioning. (Beslan was an exception)
>
> But in this instance it was about our ordinary ideas of how we think
> our belonging, our social practices and ways of being with others.
> Unfortunately it became too narrowly 'indo-centric" and thinking
> about suffering became rhetorical. If this list can produce some
> serious thought on "suffering" and "being with others' - and how we
> deal with it in our ordinary life, it may contribute to our
> intellectual life in a substantial way.
>
> For me, the last few weeks have made me wonder, as to how far a
> thought can travel if it gets tied to polemics and self-righteous
> indignation. The loads of personal and historical material that has
> come to this list in this weeks is amazing, and i hope that those
> survive and does not get buried in the after taste of polemics and
> condemnation.
>
> Will think about your point on disgust.
>
> warmly
> jeebesh
>
> On 08-Sep-07, at 4:30 PM, Rana Dasgupta wrote:
>
> > It's been an interesting few weeks on this list.  Some might say
> > "We've
> > never had it so good" - since there have been far more posts, with far
> > more responses, than usual.
> >
> > Others might feel that this has been the Reader-list's lowest ever
> > point
> > - its usual solemn tone and good opinions giving way to a running
> > sit-com of ad feminam assaults.
> >
> > Given the seriousness of some of the issues at stake, and the enormous
> > gulfs of understanding between some of the contributors, I have to say
> > I've admired the restraint of many of the writers on the list.  People
> > have held themselves back from expressing outright disgust, or from
> > violent attacks.
> >
> > It seems that there's a sense that one can't say just anything.  Or if
> > one did, it would erode the fabric of the list.  People have to
> > balance
> > their own irritation or repugnance with a desire to uphold the
> > hospitality and vitality of the list.
> >
> > I think this says something very positive about the culture of a list.
> >
> >
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