[Reader-list] what is to be done?

[Rahul Asthana]

Aarti,

>I have asked only that just as everyone is entitled
> to say what they wish
> to, I am entitled to hear what I wish to.

Whom are you asking ? Could you please clarify?

Thanks
Rahul
--- Aarti Sethi <aarti.sethi at gmail.com> wrote:

> This is not a response to all the suggestions that
> have come regarding what
> can be done individually - thanks all, and lets keep
> talking about this some
> more...
> 
> Just a quick response to Prakash who expressed shock
> and horror at my
> advocating free speech on the one hand, and
> filtering on the other, and then
> offered pious platitudes about democracy. Thanks
> comrade, but as usual you
> have failed to read my mail with care. At no point
> do i ask that mails be
> banned, censored, or moderated. Nowhere have I asked
> Sarai as an institution
> or the moderator to step in. I am not even asking
> these individuals to
> desist from expressing views which I clearly abhor.
> 
> I have asked only that just as everyone is entitled
> to say what they wish
> to, I am entitled to hear what I wish to. This is no
> way against an absolute
> free speech principle. Nor is saying that in my
> opinion some posts do not
> deserve to be responded to against a free speech
> principle, or against
> reason, or against democracy.
> 
> And I would urge you to please take a quick look at
> the censorship record of
> the party you belong to before you teach anyone else
> any lessons regarding
> their commitment to free speech.
> 
> best as always
> Aarti
> 
> On Jan 24, 2008 6:13 PM, Nishant Shah
> <itsnishant at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > Dear Radhika,
> > I wish you would not take all conversations
> personally, unless cited in
> > the
> > text. I, for one, did not have you in my mind when
> I was talking about the
> > camps. More specifically, it didn't matter, when I
> was writing the mail,
> > as
> > to where the camps are and what they are saying.
> As somebody who has been
> > a
> > moonlighting techie and researcher on technology,
> I was merely trying to
> > think of a constructive way of dealing with a
> problem that open
> > cyberspatial
> > forums often face - two or sometimes more camps,
> using the freedom of the
> > space to abuse and hurl insults, hijacking other
> threads or responses for
> > their own personal good, and exhibiting Trollish
> behaviour that often
> > borders on acute schizophrenia.
> >
> > In both the suggestions I gave, the idea was that
> if there is tagging,
> > than
> > a diverse reader list can become more manageable.
> I am not here to believe
> > that everything that is written on the list is of
> equal interest to every
> > single reader. The tags help us manage that. Also,
> if a thread about women
> > registering protest in manipur turns out to be a
> discussion on what is the
> > national, who is the national, and how muslims are
> all terrorists, I
> > think,
> > as a reader, one would have better discernment
> about what one wants to
> > read
> > and what one doesn't. A tendency to press on the
> 'Reply' button on an
> > email,
> > without changing the subject, leads to a lot of
> clutter in one's very
> > limited internet time and resources. Thus, a
> tagging system, warns (like
> > the
> > warnings on cigarette packets), that some
> information might not be
> > suitable
> > for the users who are not looking for it.
> >
> > In the second option, I was suggesting a flagging
> and abuse as a
> > suggestion
> > because it allows the users to steer clear of
> certain kind of
> > conversations.
> > If you claim that you do not consider the origin
> of the responses on the
> > list, I will take it at face value. I would also
> be extremely interested
> > in
> > how you can be enamoured by the pseudonymous
> structures of cyberspatial
> > forums so as to alienate the writing from the
> writer to such an extent,
> > that
> > like in Joycean worlds, the writer is only sitting
> somewhere far away,
> > paring her finger nails. I, on the other hand, and
> I am sure there are
> > many
> > others like me, do look at the pseudonymous
> (sometimes personal)
> > identities
> > of the writers. It allows us to make more
> sensitive arguments and
> > sympathetic readings and also make us aware of
> where they are coming from.
> > In which case, it would be interesting to see how
> these IDs are reflected.
> > Also add to the fact that if we are talking about
> a certain distributed
> > communities, then it is a good idea to see how
> people might be reacting to
> > people rather than what they are saying. It might
> actually cut down on the
> > number of mails that are simply well disguised
> (and in most cases, not
> > even
> > disguised) personal hate war. Fight your battles
> elsewhere (the personal
> > kinds) and make space for more arguments - that is
> the rationale that I
> > was
> > promoting. I am not sure if it fits everybody or
> not.
> >
> > This was a constructive way out rather than opting
> for single person
> > moderation or banning or censorship. That was the
> issue of this mail. That
> > is what I will stick to talking about. You are
> most welcome to draw from
> > your own Bengali free speech experience. But
> surely you are not suggesting
> > even there that the speech was not mediated and
> free of technological
> > tools.
> > I was suggesting a way by which technology enables
> human discernment. You
> > have turned it into a question of technology
> deciding for human beings.
> > They
> > are interesting formulations. And maybe we should
> shift it to another
> > thread
> > and talk more.
> >
> > Thanks for your intervention, and for forcing me
> to clarify my stand
> > point,
> > warmly
> > Nishant.
> > P.S. I would be grateful if you do not attribute
> me with extra H's at the
> > end of my name. It just makes minding my aiches so
> much more of a pain!
> >
> > On Jan 24, 2008 5:25 PM, <radhikarajen at vsnl.net>
> wrote:
> >
> > > Dear Nishanth,
> > >
> > >  thanks for illuminating the minds and hearts of
> members on the readers
> > > list. For Tapas, the debate is to win, for me
> debate and discussion is
> > to
> > > exchange thoughts and review them, if found
> useful for fruitful life use
> > > them, but  the very fact that open mind is
> absent in many is the cause
> > of
> > > concern.
> > >
> > >      If any one does not tow the line, the
> typical response is to shun
> > the
> > > thoughts ? Well, for me I like to read and mull
> over each of the
> > thoughts
> > > without bothering much about from which id the
> thought has originated,
> > but I
> 
=== message truncated ===



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