pynchon-l-digest V2 #1775

[Doug Millison]

In reality, if you look at the P-list over the past 8 or 9 months, in 
terms of frequency of posting and bulk, the more accurate statement 
would be that the list "belongs" (whatever that might mean) to "David 
Morris", "jbor", Dave Monroe, and Terrance.  By any measure, my 
participation is down dramatically --  except for a burst of posts at 
the beginning of 2001 and again in the past few days, I've posted 
very little.  This is all easy enough to demonstrate by looking at 
the Pynchon-L archives.

I like the material that Dave Monroe and Terrance post.  Monroe 
brings to our attention so many books, and takes the trouble to 
excerpt them for us -- isn't it a shame to see those seeds of 
conversation overwhelmed in the weeds of "jbor's" wheedling and 
needling and the crude assaults of "David Morris."  Terrance reminds 
us of Pynchon's religious roots and of his attention to earlier 
strata of Western thought, among many other things -- Pynchon's debts 
to Melville, & etc. There are some other voices that add positive and 
constructive notes -- most of you I have had a chance to communicate 
with offlist, by postal mail, on the telephone, in person. What is it 
that we talk about most when we do have a chance to talk in those 
settings?  Of course it's the way that Pynchon-L has gone to hell as 
the result of a few individuals who have coarsened the discourse and 
thrown the conversation into an unrelenting negative mode.

In terms of bad manners and obscenity, the list clearly belongs to 
"David Morris", now that "kai" is gone.

In terms of the constant drone of negative, destructive wearing away 
at the positive contributions of others, the P-list clearly belongs 
to "jbor".  If you don't believe it, just page back through the 
archives a bit and what "jbor" respond to one then another then 
another individual who tries to put forth an idea -- watch the 
discussion dissolve in nasty driblets as "jbor" begins that familiar 
destructive dance, it's happened again and again and again since this 
personality first appeared on Pynchon-L.  Veteran P-listers who were 
here when I got here know exactly what I'm talking about, several of 
you have expressed to me offlist just how frustrating it can be to 
try to engage this personality in dialogue only to find oneself 
sucked into a swamp.

It would be interesting to see what would happen if, as many of us 
have discussed off-list, we all just ignored what "jbor" and "David 
Morris" say.  Equally interesting, perhaps, to let them just talk to 
each other for awhile and see what shapes up.

>
>Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2001 21:26:11 -0500
>From: "David Morris"
>
>This list will very soon belong to Doug Millison.  Enjoy it, Doug.
>
-- 
d  o  u  g    m  i  l  l  i  s  o  n  <http://www.online-journalist.com>