From: sallyb@qiclab.scn.rain.com (Sally Bowley)
Subject: Re: The Anonymous Service: This Waiter Has A Fake Accent
Organization: SCN Research/Qic Laboratories of Tigard, Oregon.
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 08:46:27 GMT

In article <12AUG92.22401331.0037@UNBVM1.CSD.UNB.CA> Z57N000 <Z57N@UNB.CA> writes:

(stuff deleted for bandwidth)

>I am not going to say any names, for fear of causing more of a scene
>than is necessary.
>
>Now then, who was I in contact with on that night? Let's play what do we
>know.

deep breath taken here. i thought long and hard before responding to
this post; my "sensible" head told me to move on and leave it be, but
it touched a nerve in me that i wanted to address. at the risk of
incurring some flames myself, i want to say what i feel, but will do
so in the most sensitive way i can.

i sat back and watched the upheaval in the group a while ago, with
you, relkie, in the center of it. i watched as fears were voiced - on
your behalf and for posters themselves as far as safety of posting was
concerned. it was a tough time for us all, especially for our anon
friends. some people still have not felt safe enough to return. we
"lost" phoenix, an insightful and supportive poster as a result. people
took sides, as is usual, and tension, anger and hostility were
paramount. apart from a couple of neutral (i hope) posts, i decided to
stay out of it all; there was an element of "weirdness" to it all that
i couldn't and still can't, put my finger on. as i saw it, you
literally exploded onto the group - withsome *very* intelligent and
well written posts - and then everything went haywire as people seemed
to bend over backwards to accomodate your needs. i'm not saying that
these needs weren't justified - it was just amazing how many people
became involved. every other post related to your situation. then just
at the peak of it all and seemingly as suddenly as it had all begun -
it stopped. we heard nothing from you, scott, prisoner, either
directly or indirectly. i realize you didn't have net access, but from
a sometimes twice daily update by scott - nothing. 

so slowly but surely, the group got back to "normal", more people have
joined us, discussions have continued, new topic introduced etc etc. i
gues it began to feel safe again for a lot of folks. now here we are
again, it seems, with more of what i interpret as incendary comments.
you say you're not going to name names for fearing of causing more of
a scene than is necessary. is that what you're trying to do, relkie?
cause a scene? it seems so to me. and i *sincerely* apologize if i am
wrong here, but i feel what i feel. if you have a genuine need or
purpose for posting what you have, then come out and tell us what it
is, don't make inflamatory half remarks and then back away waiting for
the fire to start. you say "let's play what do we know here" - that's
exactly what i feel you are doing - playing a bit of a game. 
you obvioulsy want some kind of reaction from the group to these
thinly veiled allegations - what kind of reaction are you looking for?

>Anonymous posters: STOP! Think about it. Do you really, really want to
>risk what you're risking?
>
>YOU MAY BE CONFIDENTIAL, BUT THINK ABOUT WHO YOU'RE TRUSTING YOUR REAL
>IDENTITY TO!!!!!!!!!!
>
i'm sorry, but i just don't like this sort of poorly disguised
allegation. if you want to accuse someone of something, then do it.
i see the above as a manipulative fear tactic. if you have a sincere
concern about the confidentiality/safety of the anon service which is
based on the results of an abusive situation perpetrated by the person
who runs that service, then say just that. all these "clues" as to the
identity of the perp are unecessary and part of the game thati refuse
to buy into.

>Disclaimer: I take full responsibility for this post. Neither UNB nor
>the person who normally uses this account is responsible for what I have
>written.
>
>If the perpetrator chooses to reveal himself, he can. I don't want
>anything to do with him, personally.

then why post this is the first place? what *are* you trying to
achieve here? maybe i've missed the point entirely and am sincerely
requesting enlightenment. 

i feel very disturbed about this and anxious about the type of replies
i may receive. however, if i've learnt one thing, it's to stand up and
speak out when something upsets me. this has upset me.
sally

>RELKIE
>


Newsgroups: alt.sexual.abuse.recovery