[RP TownTalk] Immoderate Moderation

[Lou King]

"Discussions" in most un-moderated news groups/usenets I have used seem 
to boil down to the loudest, most obnoxious, with  the most perseverance 
wins the day. Well maybe not wins, but causes everyone else to stop 
commenting which functionally ends any real discussion.

As some people figured out in the '60s, it takes more than one speaker 
_and_ more than one  _listener_ to have a discussion. (I know, someone 
probably figured it out before then, but I was to young to care.) Just 
because people stop commenting on this forum doesn't mean they have been 
convinced. When it gets "a little bumpy" and others stop commenting it 
most likely means they have stopped listening. If they are not 
listening, they will not "hear" any valid points made by the less 
moderate. AND the group as a whole will have lost the perspective of 
their viewpoint. Put my vote in the civil, moderated column.

Now if someone will help this old goat get down off his soap box...

David Hiles wrote:
> People should be able to say what they want on this listserv.  Let the 
> best argument win out even if the discussion is sometimes a little 
> bumpy.
>
>