From: spencer@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (S. Spencer Sun)
Subject: Re: ok, let me try this again
Reply-To: spencer@phoenix.princeton.edu (S. Spencer Sun)
Organization: Live Organ Transplants
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 01:25:57 GMT

In article <Bxyy4A.K44@fig.citib.com>, glp@fig.citib.com (Greg Parkinson) writes:
>
>|> spencer@shine.Princeton.EDU (S. Spencer Sun) writes:
>|> 
>|> >Yes, I am trying to change things.  Yes, I am trying to exclude certain
>|> >types of conversation from soc.motss.
>|> 
>|> >... what started this off was a message from John Dorrance. [...] 
>|> >>What's the stupidest/lamest/strangest song lyric you know of?
>|> >>('I feel drunk', 'let's look for the purple banana 'til they put
>|> >>us in the truck')
>|> 
>|> >IMHO, soc.motss should be for gay-related conversations.  I interpret
>|> >that to mean conversations which, in substance, are gay-related.  This
>|> >article by Mr. Dorrance does not strike me as falling into this
>|> >category.  
>
>A discussion of how Keanu Reeves being tied up and
>assaulted by vampire maidens (or whatever) appeals
>to you *is* gay-related, but gay people talking about
>song lyrics is *not* gay-related.
>
>I see - whatever interests *you* is appropriate.

Er, no, that's not it either.  I haven't even seen the movie.  You must
not have read my article in that thread very well.  Our dear Mr. Melmon
mentioned having an infatuation or otherwise expressed some sort of
attraction for Mr. Reeves.  That was a direct precursor to the thread in 
which he lamented not seeing enough of Mr. Reeves in the film, and
complained about being mislead by the Wall Street Journal about how much
screen time Mr. Reeves would have.  I consider this latter thread to be
directly related to the prior thread, which I consider motss-relevant.

Namely, things like "I find such-and-such person attractive" (said
person presumably being known to a sufficient proportion of readers so
that it's not a meaningless statement, and movie actors/actresses fall
into this category, IMHO) are motss-relevant (again, IMHO).  Simplistic,
perhaps, not a very intellectual conversation, perhaps, but nonetheless
motss-relevant.

A few people have pointed out to me in e-mail that soc.motss is also a
good place to get to know lots of other GLB*, which is why things like
the song lyrics question, or "Has anyone got a good recipe for X" are
useful here.

I'll buy that.  That was something I hadn't really considered until it
was pointed out to me.

I am still left wondering whether or not it's possible for a newsgroup
to try to contain too many different things (or indeed if that is a
meaningful question).

I also still maintain that there are discussions where one's sexuality
is completely irrelevant.  That is not to say that people should hide
or suppress their sexualities.  I think at least a couple people thought
that was what I was advocating, and I think that's reading too far into
it.

-----
sss/PU'94 Dept of CS (spencer@phoenix.princeton.edu)/JvNCnet (spencer@jvnc.net)
"Laws that are so widely disobeyed and which cannot be enforced only
promote disrespect for the law in general."  [NJ Assemblyman Steven
Mikulak, NY Times, 9/16/92, in reference to the 55 MPH speed limit]