[SustainableTompkins] Maintaining list integrity

Thu Nov 16 12:07:09 PST 2006

Hi Patricia,

I'm not talking so much about geography as about subject matter.

A list like Sustainable Tompkins attempts to create a community of
discourse around a particular subject -- in this case,
sustainability.  If it's successful, it gathers a group of people
who may have very different interests, but agree on this one thing
-- in this case, presumably, the need to live more sustainable
lives.  But that sense of community is extremely fragile.  People
have to feel that they can address others who may have beliefs
that differ from theirs on every other subject but will
nevertheless welcome their views on this one.  That comfort level
cannot be established if people are allowed to stray from the one
thing they all agree on.

I may feel that saving whales is a critical priority, and you may
feel the same, but there are entire countries, and some Americans,
who don't feel that way at all.  Sustainable Tompkins is not the
place for that discussion.

I may be opposed to indiscriminate government wiretapping, and I'm
going to bet that you are, too, but there are many, many Americans
who think that government snooping in protection of their security
is just fine.  We may find that view incomprehensible, but we need
those people involved here.

For sustainability to work, it has to involve *everyone* of
*every* political persuasion.  The mere fact that I'm the only
person to see something wrong here means that we're already in
danger of becoming a group that largely talks to itself and stays
within comfortable assumptions about the good "progressive" people
we all suppose ourselves to be.

What if someone started using this list as a place to post NRA
bulletins urging us to pressure the state legislature to loosen
restrictions on handguns?  Gun ownership is as justifiably related
to sustainability as saving whales (more so, actually).  Would we
all be happy with that? Why not?

What if one of the evangelical Christians who are starting to
support sustainability issues started posting messages urging us
all to attend their church so that we could become better stewards
of the earth?  Would we be comfortable with that use of the list?
Why not?

We're trying to reach out to the entire County here -- or at
least, I assume we are.  But guess what?  A large proportion of
Tompkins County residents have views very different from the ones
I'm calling "off topic."  If we ever hope to get those folks
involved in a discussion of sustainability, we'd better stick to
the subject.

Jon

[Patricia Haines <ph24 at kaxy.com>:]

> -I'm going to disagree with Jon: what I value from this listserv is NOT just what's going on
> in
> Tompkins County, but what TC folks care about, are involved with, and think worthy of sharing
> with
> the rest of us. Sustanability can't be just a local thing - and one thing that makes our area
> strong
> is that we are far more active than many other communities. Not just locally, but by providing
> leadership for organizations and activities that have an impact far beyond our own boundaries.
>
> I'd like to hear what others think. - Patricia, Level Green
>
> ---- Original Message -----
> From: bosak at ibiblio.org
> To: "Sustainable Tompkins County listserv" <sustainabletompkins at lists.mutualaid.org>
> Sent: Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:49:06 -0500 (EST)
> Subject: [SustainableTompkins] Maintaining list integrity
>
>> I'm getting really tired of seeing these off-topic posts in
>> Sustainable Tompkins.
>>
>> This is supposed to be a list about sustainability in Tompkins
>> County.  Not about whales (very few of those around here), or
>> wiretapping, or "life & computers," or someone's mother.
>>
>> This is how lists die: they become dumping grounds for irrelevant
>> messages from people seeking an appreciative audience for the causes
>> and concerns they find interesting.
>>
>> Sustainable Tompkins is the only list we've got for communication
>> about sustainability in Tompkins County.  It's worth preserving
>> for that purpose.  People who feel compelled to share their
>> opinions on other subjects should find lists devoted to those
>> subjects or learn how to blog.
>>
>> Jon
>>
>> > Hi TC Sustainers:
>> >
>> > I just took action to save endangered whales and you can, too. Send a
>> > message now to save thirty to fifty of the planet's last remaining North
>> > Atlantic right whales online now at:
>> >
>> > http://action.defenders.org/rightwhales
>> >
>> > Unfortunately, thirty to fifty of the world's remaining North Atlantic right
>> > whales are in mortal danger in Canada's Bay of Fundy. Lobster season has
>> > begun in the area, and the whales,  which have usually left the bay by this
>> > time of year, are now in grave danger of becoming ensnared in fishing gear
>> > and dying.
>> >
>> > Entanglement in fishing gear is the second leading cause of death for North
>> > Atlantic right whales, and lobster gear is one of the leading culprits.
>> >
>> > With only about 350 North Atlantic right whales left on the planet, even the
>> > loss of one of these gentle giants is too many.
>> >
>> > Please join me in taking action to save these rare whales... Visit the
>> > website below to send a message to Canadian Minister of Fisheries Loyola
>> > Hearn right now and urge him to delay opening the fishing grounds until the
>> > right whales have left the area:
>> >
>> > http://action.defenders.org/rightwhales
>> >
>> > Thanks!
>> > To take action on this issue, click on the link below:
>> > https://secure2.convio.net/dow/site/Advocacy?s_oo=skQ8WX3P2J7NIRuuhY1AIg..&amp;id=579
>> > If the text above does not appear as a link or it wraps across multiple
>> > lines, then copy and paste it into the address area of your browser.
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its
>> > shoes.
>> >   - Mark Twain
>>
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>
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