Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!texbell!vector!attctc!jolnet!dattier
From: dattier@jolnet.ORPK.IL.US (David W. Tamkin)
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: talk.morality (Was CALL FOR DISCUSSION -- talk.politics.gay)
Summary: up one level, wider coverage
Keywords: homosexuality, flame_war, politics, morality_wars
Message-ID: <3056@jolnet.ORPK.IL.US>
Date: 2 Feb 90 21:12:30 GMT
References: <34015@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <15894@well.UUCP>
Organization: Jolnet Public Access Unix, Goodings Grove, Illinois
Lines: 31

In various places along this discussion, at least two people have pointed out
that the suggested topic has nothing to do with politics.  One suggested
moving it up one level to a talk.x name as with talk.abortion.

I suggest we scrap the proposed name and try for something like
talk.morality.  That's the ideal name for a group where posters can argue
about what they deem moral or immoral, and it needn't be restricted to the
morality of particular sexual orientations.

If any particular subtopic grows into a group of its own, talk.morality could
be divided into talk.morality.misc and [for examples] talk.morality.fur, 
t.m.homosexuality, t.m.pornography, t.m.war, t.m.euthanasia, t.m.politicians,
or whatever gets to the point of needing its own spinoff.  I won't suggest
that talk.abortion be moved under the talk.morality.* umbrella, since its
name is already long established.  (In fact, the original group wouldn't have
to be renamed t.m.misc at all.  We can cross that bridge when, if ever, we
come to it.)

The name talk.morality itself would not in particular be a magnet for
homophobic rants but they could logically be directed there.  More
importantly, the sight of the name in a list of newsgroups wouldn't be an
inspiration for homophobic rants, as talk.foo.gay or talk.bar.homophobia
might.  And if there eventually is a talk.morality.homosexuality created, the
name will speak for itself and it will contain precisely what it is meant to.

As for officially designating alt.flame as the place for such discussion,
alt.flame is for showing off how masterful one thinks one is at the art of
the putdown; it is not really the right place for arguing issues, only for
arguing personalities.  
--
David W. Tamkin        dattier@jolnet.orpk.il.us     ...!attctc!jolnet!dattier