pac plyer wrote:

I look at RAH just like a busy intercity freeway. People who are
anonymous in their automobiles do things they never would consider
doing to others face to face in a social setting. They flip the bird
when they get cut off, and then, they swerve with no blinkers in front
of a slow vehicle in the fast lane to get even. Again, that's not
how these people act when they get out of their automobiles. That's
not how they act to those they know, or have just met at the store. I
don't attack them at the filling station to get even. No harm, no
foul.

Pac, with respect, I think this analogy is flawed.

The function of an intercity highway is to move people and
goods from Point A to Point B. No interpersonal relationships
between cars are necessary, no additional functions exist
which depend upon civil interpersonal relations. Someone flips
you the bird, you drive on. Probably, no harm no foul, although,
yes indeedy flip off the wrong driver and he may just follow
you into the gas station and clean your clock, or just shoot you
-- it's happened. My favorite is the Massachusetts crossbow
incident but I digress.

The function of a newsgroup is to exchange information. As such,
it functions more like a small town or a local community than a
"busy intercity freeway". People need to get to know whose advice
is generally sound and what other people's personal tics are.
Some meet IRL and break bread together. The topics of conversations
may vary, and a certain amount of off-topic stuff is inevitable,
but some kind of social compact is necessary for the group
to be able to serve its intended function. You allude to this
yourself.

What happens if a neighbor or coworker gets in his automobile
and starts behaving as you describe -- "getting even", flipping
the bird, yelling profanities in the parking lot? Around here
at least, it wouldn't be tolerated. It's disruptive of good
professional relationships if it's a coworker who behaves like a
total d*ckh**d to you in the parking lot then expects you to
give him your best help on Monday, and it's dangerous to the
kids if it's in the neighborhood. Yes harm Yes foul. In a
small town, people like that get a "talking to" if that doesn't
suffice there's an "intervention" and they get toted off to
the local head-shrinker. By their friends and supporters.

RAH is identical in almost every way except one: No structure, other
than the regular's sharp reprisals exist to put a wild driver into
question.

The latter is true, but I think your analogy does break down
at the former. Unlike an anonymous intercity highway, the
newsgroup has a function which necessarily depends upon people
being able to interact. What happens after an EAA meeting when
people are mingling in small groups some shooting the bull and some
talking technical, if someone is continually running from group
to group screaming general profanities and prolonged repeated
abuse at specific people? Wouldn't that be seen as disruptive
and unacceptable?

Suppose they happened to have gobs of experience flying and building,
well, what good does it do anyone if instead of sharing it, they
spend all their time and energy picking fights and being disruptive?
Other experienced people are unable to share their experience or get
disgusted by the atmosphere and leave.

My point is, and perhaps I mistake you, you seem to be on the
one hand pointing out that there's no mechanism to edit content
other than the "social compact" as it were -- individual choice
to either post a "sharp reprisal" or to refuse to associate
with an individual by killfiling them, and the sum of such
individual choices.

And you're right.

But, on the other hand, you seem to be criticizing Dan and
"Big John" for pretty much doing as you say -- making a "sharp
reprisal" against some stuff they don't like. If it's a "free
newsgroup" where anything goes, aren't you playing "Netcop"
yourself by critiquing them?

Why is it OK for one guy to mouth off as he chooses, but not
OK for anyone who responds disapprovingly, they get told off
for trying to be a "net cop" and directed to a moderated
newsgroup?

Aren't they just exercising the very mechanism you tout
here -- the "sharp reprisal"?

Now granted I'm galactically stupid and all that, so maybe you
just need to explain the difference to me since I don't see it.
Use small words and talk slowly.

Granted, in this analogy, BWB is
nothing less than the terminator in a runaway Peterbuilt. If we can
just re-program his prime directive, we would have one hell of a
writer on our hands again. Be patient.

Bill made some great posts Once Upon a Time. Like, more than
4 years ago. It seems pretty clear to me he's no longer willing
or able to do so. Just how much "reckless driving" does your
community tolerate from someone who used to be a contributing
citizen? Do you believe in fairy tales?

Back to net-rage. On the real road, the state maintains a hugely
expensive police force to stop this behavior, but it doesn't put a
dent in the road rage problem.

Actually, on the real road, people are to some extent restrained
by the knowledge that the person they flip the bird and cut off
just might follow them into the nearest filling station and whip
their ass. Or, might be their bosses' or neighbor's wife.

I think there's a word for people who make nicey-nice to someone's
face when they meet in person, then trash that same person endlessly
when they're safe behind a computer and out of reach of a good right
hook or a sidekick to the kneecap. But I digress again.

But Ladies and Gentlemen, RAH is GA, and GA IS inherently dangerous.
We just lost two pilots in experimentals in our area last month. If
you can't suffer a little criticism or overlook the faults of
professional pilots and builders with experience, then you don't
belong in the sky.

Oh, I can suffer a *little* criticism, heh heh. I can even suffer
serious criticism provided it has some factual basis. I can also
overlook the faults of real professional pilots and builders with
real experience. I think most people here can do so.

What's that got to do with endless mindless abuse and personal
vendettas?

OK, that's my $0.02 I'll sit down and shut up again now.
Sydney