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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!sabre!zeta!epsilon!gamma!pyuxww!pyuxd!rlr
From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Arthur Pewtey)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.religion,net.religion.christian,net.religion.jewish,net.music,net.music.classical,net.music.gdead,net.jokes
Subject: The new configuration of the net
Message-ID: <1050@pyuxd.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Jun-85 00:28:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: pyuxd.1050
Posted: Tue Jun  4 00:28:54 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Jun-85 00:58:20 EDT
References: <356@osu-eddie.UUCP>
Organization: The Chartered Accountants Who Want to Be Lion Tamers Association
Lines: 68
Xref: watmath net.flame:10284 net.religion:7031 net.religion.christian:759 net.religion.jewish:2062 net.music:7772 net.music.classical:1115 net.music.gdead:212 net.jokes:12575

> We have come to the conclussion that there are many who subscribe to this
> newsgroup who don't participate because they feel they will be attacked for
> whatever they believe.  We propose two new newsgroups to replace
> net.religion.jewish:  net.religion.jewish.frum and
> net.religion.jewish.notfrum.  [ADAM BESLOVE]

    In the early days of the net, there were newsgroups based on individual
    topics, such as religion, music, computer technology, food, etc.  Large
    numbers of people of diverse backgrounds and tastes had the opportunity
    to converse with each other, exchange information and opinions, and, as
    a  whole,  expand everyone's  knowledge about the topics and about each
    other.
    
    [e.g., net.religion, net.music, etc.]
    
    However, some people of opposing points of view within individual news-
    groups were disturbed by the open conflict between points of view. They
    would prefer  individual newsgroup  environments for  individual tastes
    within a given topic.   While some saw this as  divisive and eroding at
    the foundations of the eclectic nature of the netnews community,  those
    who wanted subgroups based on taste won out,  and soon there were news-
    groups for every conceivable taste within every conceivable topic.
    
    [e.g., net.religion.ubizmo, net.music.washboard, net.micro.abacus, etc.]
    
    Yet, despite the well-designed subgrouping configuration,  people found
    that there were still differences  of opinion amongst the  contributors
    of individual subgroups,  and some people proposed  FURTHER subgrouping
    by more precisely defined taste boundaries as the answer.   Once again,
    though others disliked the  idea as being contrary to the spirit of the
    net,  they won out,  and the age of  the four-level  subgroup for  very
    specific tastes was upon us.
    
    [e.g., net.religion.jewish.sephardic, net.music.jazz.*real*, etc.]
    
    This  configuration lasted for a time,  but,  perhaps precisely because
    the people  in the individual  sub-subgroups had  no one else  to argue
    with, they began to argue with each other,  discovering that even those
    with  whom  they thought  they had so  much in common  were,  at times,
    different from them.   And so,  still more  subgrouping was tried,  and
    still more, until someone finally proposed the ultimate solution to the
    whole problem of having to face those with different  points of view in
    the same newsgroup:
    
    net.site-id.user-id
    
    Though the idea met with some resistance in the beginning,  soon it was
    universal.   Everyone had their own newsgroup.   To post to.   To read.
    To never again  have to fear  someone  with a  different  point of view
    interfering  with one's  peace of mind.   And  so it was.   There  were
    groups called net.nsc.chuqui, and net.qubix.lab,  and net.tekecs.jeffw,
    and net.pyuxd.staffwagger, and net.pucc.jeff.   (Actually,  there was a
    problem with that last newsgroup:  it seems that the person for whom it
    was intended would post his problems, then post his own solutions,  and
    then post followups  claiming the invalidity of the solutions.)   There
    was even a  net.dec.arndt,  but unfortunately that  newsgroup had to be
    further broken  up into subgroups,  because the person  for whom IT was
    intended complained  about obnoxious  childish attacks  directed at him
    that he had posted himself.
    
    And we all lived happily ever after,  serene in the knowledge that we'd
    never have to face  anyone who held an alternate  viewpoint on anything
    at all, ever again.
    
				    THE  END
-- 
Life is complex.  It has real and imaginary parts.
					Rich Rosen  ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr