[ANST - Second-Guessing (was: On-line Ansteorra : The Next Generation...)]

Keith Hood hoodkl at netscape.net
Wed Apr 28 11:55:18 PDT 1999


Viscount Galen:

Sir, I respect you and your rank very much.  But, while you may not see it, I
think your words on this subject concern the right of free speech as much as
any other issue, and I have to disagree somewhat with your position.

Below I have put some comments and questions referring to your message.




>
>  Shall we replace our King and Queen with a committee? 
>  Must we take _every_ rumor at face value? Do we 
>  have so little trust in our leaders?

This I just don't understand.  What have the King and Queen got to do with the
issue of buying a server?  Who raised any issues about not trusting our
leaders?  I haven't seen any posts where people made accusations about
problems or malfeasance.   Maybe I haven't read enought posts but I really
don't see where this came from.



>
>  How can it 
>  be that, with so many financial philosophers in 
>  Ansteorra, there was only one applicant for Kingdom 
>  Treasurer last month? 
>

Maybe because there was only one person who has the free time to assume the
duties of the office?  In any case, what does this have to do with buying a
server, or the debate over it?  If this is meant to imply that people who
didn't apply are not qualified to speak about raising money for a server, I
must disagree - and if this passasage has some other meaning, please correct
me.  The lack of an application has no bearing on either competence or right
to speak.  Should we bar from posting on this list anyone who did not send in
an application?



>
> And do we really want to make it so unpleasant for 
> those who take the trouble to conceive a new idea, 
> do the research, write a formal proposal, get formal 
> approval for the proposal by facing the Crown and all 
> the Kingdom and Regional officers together and fielding
> their questions, and then carry through personally
> with the work, in this case into perpetuity?  
>

No, but neither do we want an atmosphere where anyone who makes a proposal
gets whatever they want.  We must balance between the two extremes.  Our
process and our words should be more civil, but we should not quit asking
questions or voicing opinions.



>
> Do _you_ hope to ever propose a new idea in this
> kingdom?  Are you looking forward to your baby
> getting the kicking-around and second-guessing
> Pug's idea has gotten?
> 

I've been there, done that, survived it, bought the T-shirt, got on with other
things and was not warped by it except on nights of a full moon.  Should we
abandon public discussions because they are sometimes painful to the people
who make proposals?  We should be polite about it but we should speak if we
think it is important.

Especially concerning money.  There are some things that don't merit a
protracted debate, and debates should never descend to personal acrimony.  But
money is often hard to come by and most people have too many demands on what
they have.  For most of us, it is not easy to part with money.  Anything that
tries to convince the people of this Kingdom to put up their hard-earned
money, especially a chunk this large, should be scrutinized and discussed in
great detail.



>
> Public critique of ideas is not appropriate.
> If you have questions, criticisms, or objections, send
> them in private.
>

This is what I see as the core of this matter.  Since when is public speaking
on ideas not appropriate?  Since when is public debate on public subjects not
appropriate?  The idea of buying a server is not a private matter.  It was
made in public and it involves public fundraising, so it most definitely is
appropriate to speak about it in public.

For another thing, no idea or proposal is perfect.  No one person can think up
all the possible ramifications or contingencies in a possible course of
action.  If made and received in the right spirit, public input can often help
cover matters not thought of at first.

I think that public discussion should be done in the proper fashion.  It
should be done politely.  It should not involve personalities.  It should not
include characterizations, everyone should be careful to properly quote other
people, etc.  But both the proposer and the dissenter must have equal right to
speak out loud.

My sympathies go anyone who ever had an idea squashed by other people.  And I
understand this kind of exchange is wearying for those involved in decision
making.  But that's the way it works in a free society.  I agree with what I
think is your feeling that people are often subjected to public abuse when
they do not merit such treatment, and that is a rotten thing that should never
happen.  I agree with what I perceive is your feeling that people should not
carelessly hurt other peoples' feelings or reputations.  People should be more
polite, and careful to get their facts straight, and careful to make sure
their intent is clear.  But we must have the forbearance to stand free
expression of thoughts and feelings, even if they bother us, or we cannot be a
free society.  



    Tomonaga

------

A long bow and a stong bow,
And let the sky grow dark.
The nock to the cord, the shaft to the ear,
And a foreign king for a mark!

     --  Stolen from "The Song of the Bosonian Archers" --
               By Robert E. Howard, who should be
                 the patron saint of Ansteorra

____________________________________________________________________
Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com.
============================================================================
Go to http://lists.ansteorra.org/lists.html to perform mailing list tasks.



More information about the Ansteorra mailing list