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From: jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: What is net.women for, anyway?
Message-ID: <618@rtech.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 30-Aug-85 02:06:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: rtech.618
Posted: Fri Aug 30 02:06:10 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Sep-85 13:25:51 EDT
References: <169@gargoyle.UUCP>
Organization: Relational Technology, Alameda CA
Lines: 52

> Nancy Parsons writes:
> 
> > So, the question, it seems to me, is "What is the common interest for which
> > net.women exists?"
> 
> The description of net.women in the list of newsgroups posted in
> net.announce.newusers reads in its entirety, "Women's rights,
> discrimination, etc."  This isn't a terribly clear description of the
> purpose of net.women.  I think it should be clarified whether
> this newsgroup is intended to be:
> 
> A.  A support group for women, to which (primarily or exclusively)
>     women post articles to share experiences and encouragement,
>     and for others to listen in to educate themselves about what 
>     women are thinking, feeling, etc.;  or
> 
> B.  A forum for discussion of topics related to the feminist movement,
>     the position of women in society, the oppression of women in history,
>     sexism and patriarchy and their effects on the lives of women,
>     the differences between men and women and to what extent the
>     differences are to be attributed to biology or culture, and so
>     forth.
> 
> I am all in favor of having both kinds of newsgroup on the net, but I
> don't think a SINGLE newsgroup can reasonably be expected to serve
> BOTH purposes very well.
> ...
> expecting
> net.women to fulfill both purposes A and B above can only lead to
> frustration.
> 
> Richard Carnes, ihnp4!gargoyle!carnes

I don't see how option A is even possible.  For such a group to exist, it
would be necessary to screen out certain types of postings (e.g. ones which
attack feminism or women).  This can't be done in normal newsgroups.

The fact that anyone can post anything to any unmoderated newsgroup is
both USENET's greatest strength and its greatest weakness.  It means that
one can read a wide variety of opinions.  It also means that discussions on
controversial topics can't become very productive, because there are always
those who will drag such discussions down to childish levels.

Mail.feminists already exists, and it seems to me that this would serve better
as a support group for women.  It's possible for such a group to exist
as a mailing list, and it would almost certainly fail as a normal newsgroup.
-- 
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
aka Swazoo Koolak

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