MAC TIGR (OT)

[Tom Kirshbaum]

> 2 cents and worth that much.

Indeed.

> Kunga seems upset by the posting of this

I've gone back over the last five digests, and I can't find what this
references. Could you please point me to the message and day? Thanks.

>given the way he dominates the list

I see this quite differently. Kunga happens to know a great deal about a
subject I'm interested in. He provides information and answers every day
that are invaluable to me. (Sorry to speak of you in the third person, Mr.
Kunga. I know it's rude). He's a genuine enthusiast. I for one am most
grateful for his posts, and look forward to them.

> which has in turn coincided
> with a huge number of people abandoning the list

What?? When has Kunga ever been less than helpful and polite? Is there any
proof that people have abandoned the list because of him? I personally doubt
it. Rather, I'd think there are a lot of folks like me who appreciate his
presence. Do we have any reliable information at all about the number of
people he has attracted to the list vs. those he has allegedly driven away?
Given the number of digests arriving every day, the list doesn't exactly
seem to be in danger of expiring.

>some of us have been fascinated by these behavioral attributes

I come to this list to get information, not to gossip about the private life
of the contributors. If someone were preaching a noxious lifestyle OT on the
list, I'd be concerned. Otherwise, what business is it of mine what anyone
on the list does privately? Actually, since I just skimmed the article, I
don't even know what are the "behavioral attributes" referenced here. I
certainly didn't learn about them from reading the list.

> A trust fund baby...

Are we now to discriminate against someone on the grounds of his/her
personal financial circumstances? Let me rephrase the thought:

"A person of independent means who therefore has time to become an expert on
a subject and to share that knowledge, without remuneration, with others who
are trying to learn and grow."

> Being part of a group sometimes means making space for less
> forceful personalities to establish themselves.

I see it differently. I don't see a list as a cocktail party. If someone at
a party dominates the conversation, others don't get a chance to
participate. On a list, no matter how many messages an individual posts, I
can always post mine, and it can be as long as I want (witness this present
one!) and as compelling as my knowledge and writing ability can make it.

I don't know if that article is two percent true, forty-seven percent true,
or one hundred percent true. Based on my own experience with the press, I'd
say it's likelier to represent the mind set of the writer than that of
Kunga. If it does reflect him well, I'd say he's about the most colorful
person I've heard about in quite a while: a real character! But I repeat:
what does that have to do with the value (or lack thereof) of his posts?

> Oh, and send some money this way, please.

What an awful thing to say! Is this the motivation behind the hostility?

I post rarely because I'm simply not expert enough to contribute much that
is useful. But character assassination, about which we all know something,
gets me a bit hot under the collar. Sorry to run on so long.

Please continue to provide as much helpful information as possible, Kunga!

Tom Kirshbaum