Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: $Revision: 1.6.2.16 $; site faust.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!think!faust!nrh From: nrh@faust.UUCP Newsgroups: net.news Subject: Re: Removing net.flame Message-ID: <11400001@faust.UUCP> Date: Tue, 2-Jul-85 20:11:00 EDT Article-I.D.: faust.11400001 Posted: Tue Jul 2 20:11:00 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 5-Jul-85 06:14:39 EDT References: <3892@alice.UUCP> Lines: 22 Nf-ID: #R:alice:-389200:faust:11400001:000:1086 Nf-From: faust!nrh Jul 2 20:11:00 1985 I've bad news. The idea of getting rid of a certain sort of behavior by canceling the corresponding newsgroup has been tried. It failed. I believe it was 4 or 5 years ago that a separate newsgroup for "jokes of questionable taste" was deleted. As I recall, "net.jokes.q" was removed by Mark Horton after a particularly execrable joke regarded as racist or sexist was posted there. Horton sent out rmgroup messages, the group ceased to exist, and the "questionable" jokes began appearing in net.jokes. At the time, I recall Horton remarking that it just goes to show that if you plug the sewers the sewage flows out onto the streets. It was at this point that some forgotten genius came up with the idea of "rot13", probably saving the net from the deletion of net.jokes, and (personal opinion) the spreading of the jokes elsewhere. We DO need some way of attacking the idea that the existence of the group implies the toleration or encouragement of discussion of the subject. As one placard put it (while the 39 hostages were still imprisoned) "Endurance is not toleration".