From: murph@buscard.fidonet.org (Brian Murphy)
Newsgroups: alt.bbs
Subject: Fidonet editorial: Henderson
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 10:05:12 EDT
Reply-To: murph@buscard.fidonet.org (Brian Murphy)
Organization: The Business Card (BBS), Lawrence, MA - Data: 508-682-5329

FidoNews 8-44                  Page 6                       4 Nov 1991


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                               ARTICLES
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Thom Henderson


                            Fear of Flying

What is it that some people find so scary about democracy?  For a very
long time I was a lot more involved than I should have been in giving
sysops some say in how the net is managed.  That particular effort
failed for a number of reasons that I'd prefer not to go into (at
least partly because some of them were my fault), but still it irks me
to hear people disparage the very idea of ever giving the "grunt
sysop" a say -- everything from offhand references to "smarmy
meetings" to one notable who characterized the whole effort as "nasty
nasty nasty awful awful awful".

I know that politicians have given organized meetings a bad name, but
the fact of the matter is that Robert's Rules of Order are designed to
ensure that all viewpoints are aired -- ALL viewpoints!

When I accepted Chairmanship of the late IFNA, it was with the
understanding that we would do either one of two things:  either we
would turn it into the elected leadership of fidonet, or we would get
rid of it.  I wanted the former, but I accepted the latter by
consoling myself with the thought that at least now it would be easier
for the sysops to erect a new structure without repeating the mistakes
of the original.  That hasn't happened, and shows no sign of
happening.

Some people will tell you that it isn't needed, that fidonet as it
stands is the perfect anarchy with total freedom for its members.  A
few of them may even believe it.

But most sysops know better, from personal experience.  There ARE
people running things.  People are told what software to run and what
software not to run.  People are told which conferences they may or
may not have and how they must obtain them.  Fidonet is a hierarchical
dictatorship, with the dictators responsible only to those above them;
never to those they are supposed to serve.

Yes, I know that traces of democracy exist within fidonet.  Nets have
been known to elect their own NC, and even a region or two has been
known to elect its RC.  But take a close look at how and why.  It's
always been by suffrance of the dictators.  Maybe your last NC let you
elect your current NC, but NOTHING requires your current NC to let you
elect another.  There are network wide policies in place that are
intended to affect you on a daily basis where less that one percent of
the people were even consulted about whether or not they were a good
idea, and nothing gives YOU any say on the matter at all.

In an anarchy you can do anything you like, but you haven't got that.

In a democracy you have a say in how things are run, but you haven't
got that either.

What DO you have?

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