From: utzoo!utcsrgv!roderick Newsgroups: net.suicide Title: Goodbye, cruel world... Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.1172 Posted: Sun Mar 13 13:48:34 1983 Received: Sun Mar 13 15:40:58 1983 I have been reading this idiotic newsgroup for about as long as it has existed, and I have yet to see more than a handful of worthwhile articles appear. (And by this I mean that the garbage percentage is even higher here than in all the other newsgroups. No, it's not a polite thing to say, is it?) All of the "wonderful", "sensitive", "caring" techniques for dissuading would-be suicides could be obtained from a single reading of any pamphlet on the subject put out by your local mental health organization. If you really care, there are also a number of good books available (no, I don't have the references -- go look them up yourself). But beware: Counselling is something that takes skill, sensitivity and (sometimes) training. The rest of the submissions fall into three categories: (1) Drivel (2) Offensiveness (3) Black Humour Categories (1) and (2) need and deserve little comment. Category (3) was the original reason I began reading this newsgroup. At one time, some really admirable examples of this neglected art were exhibited here. However, it seems to have been bashed into nonexistence by the incessant spewing of (1)- and (2)- authors. I am still trying to decide whether "rabbit!bimmler" falls into category (2) or (3). Regardless of whichever it is, he/she/it now remains as the only interesting artifact of this newsgroup. If you have any flames, don't bother posting them to this newsgroup, send them to me by mail. (You may by now have deduced that I will no longer read this group -- very good.) In a very poor mood indeed, Rod Glover U of Toronto ...!utzoo!utcsrgv!roderick