<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> Farrell wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>Here is where I gotta depart from ya. Yes, at conventions "We go in and out of pure piano technical talk all the time...", but the difference is that stuff we go public with is humorous or curious. It is not political or religious. Go to a Roger Jolly class. Humor abounds. Its great. What Richard Snelson was focusing on is the political and religious stuff that gets posted on the list. How he comes across a post that is either inflammatory to the right or left and gets his day off on the wrong foot. I could not agree more. And yes, we will talk political at the conventions. But not often. And only one-on-one, or at most in a very small group.</blockquote> I dont know how many Nationals you'be been too Terry, but the two I attended these past three years, there was plenty of both politics and religion around. In the hallways, and corridors, at the receptions and other functions. There was even a prayer breakfast or something of the sort in Reno. The real difference was that the conterpart of our cyber - delete button works pretty well...in those real life situations. Those who dont want to participate, simply turned to something else. And to set the record very straight Terry, Richard Snelson is on record on several occasions for quite a bit more then "focusing on is the political and religious stuff" He has criticised several humourous contributions and he has voiced his dismay at having to hear about peoples experiences such as what high school they went too, or what football team they hail for. And that is the crux of the whole matter.... where does the border go... and who's going to set it and what makes anyone think it will be set fairly.. Sorry I dont buy any of this. The list has demonstrated time and time again its outstanding character and abilities in regulating itself in this and other such matters. We need no formalized rules, nor does it serve any purpose to simply accuse the list as being garbaged lonely hearters and throw us the proverbial finger on the way out. As Dale so well put it, there is a positive approach that is much more conducive to the problem.   <blockquote TYPE=CITE> But cheap spinet bashing is not taboo. That's OK. Even Steinway bashing is fair game (not that I would ever do that though)! This list is such a good thing. Political and religious posts turn many, if not most, of us off. I suppose a few enjoy the exchange. I suspect not many. I don't. Save it for the convention hallway. I hate to see valuable contributors to this list get discouraged and unsubscribe. It is simply everyone's loss. Especially newishbies like me!   :-) Terry Farrell</blockquote> These last two paragraphs are actually quite interesting. I have seen at least three folks come and go exactly because of the Steinway bashing. I have even heard it said scornfully by a number of folks at the conventions that the list is not much more then a forum for Steinway bashing. And of course I have heard comments about sex jokes, ... got a nasty one myself in private mail not so long ago ... so yes sex is also tossed around from time to time. My point is twofold. The list stays mostly piano topical very well on its own. And the assumption that one or another type of off topic . material is somehow more (or less) appropriate is not one I can see makes any sense. This second inherently involves value judgements that are dangerous at best to make. Especially when its simply unnecessary to make them in the first place. My view, and I stand by it.   -- Richard Brekne RPT, N.P.T.F. UiB, Bergen, Norway <A HREF="mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no">mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no</A> <A HREF="http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html">http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html</A>  </html>