[csaa-forum] Uncle!

[Danny Butt]

OK, to stop taking up more space on the list I promise not to do it again. I
accept that some were offended, and I apologise for the offence caused. I
accept that some thought my post potentially damaging to the status of the
discipline, I agree that is possible and have no wish to compromise those
whose professional stakes in this dialogue are much higher than mine.

There are, to perhaps salvage something positive, a couple of interesting
pieces of fallout - not for discussion, please!:

1) questions of norms, expectations, and governance tend to reach mailing
lists of a certain size/maturity. I think it is far from clear what the list
is for and people's expectations of it are (compared to, for example, the
members' mailout list for the association). Perhaps some clearer guidelines
than the ones on the signup page (which are, I think, different than when I
signed up :7) could be considered.

2) questions of regulation and professionalisation within CS, what attracts
people to it, how the very different orientations toward the discipline are
or are not seen to be supported. I don't think this is far removed from
Terry's "Is CS left-wing?" question at the beginning of the year, except
that I don't know whether left wing is a good term for exploring the
differences I'm talking about. In particular, I'm interested in how the
various new forms of writing, academic/non-academic crossovers, and
priorities promoted by people - are seen to be useful or not, and on what
basis. I guess the theory/research lists I've found most interesting over
the past 12 years have been those where informality and passion for ideas
have been exchanged as a response to the increasingly policed and regulated
aspects of professional and public discourse. They have been particularly
useful, I think, for those outside the major academic centres where the
conversations over post-seminar drinks after visiting hotshot prof "x" may
not be as likely to take place. I'm not trying to justify my own behaviour
here (much :), just suggest that I wonder what type of list people signed up
for, what they want, and how possible it is to create it?

Cheers,

Danny

ps - Tony, given your fantastic work over the years on subcultures, I'm very
disappointed that you thought my post "crude". Offensive - yes; ill-advised;
fine; but I attempt to generate the most sophisticated and refined
below-the-belt sledging available.

--
http://www.dannybutt.net
adventures in cultural politics (weblog) - http://acp.dannybutt.net