[Rhodes22-list] Political discussion is diluting the value of the Rhodes 22 newsgroup

[Herb Parsons]

Paul,

I think you missed the point. The point is that commentary is necessary, 
or the list dies.

No one is going to refuse to talk sailing. However, once the carb issue 
on the yamaha dies away, something needs to fill the void until the next 
"help me" message pops up, or the list dies.

Anyone that wants to (and folks sometimes do) can fill the void with 
sailing stories, photos, project information, etc.. If there were enough 
of those, folks that enjoy the political banter will probably get tired 
of wading through the sailing distractions, and start talking boats.

Until that happens though, the more prolific on here will talk about 
what's comfortable for them. It's up to the "I want something else" 
group to provide it. Trust me, no one's going to run someone off for 
talking about boats (I'm talking about REAL boats of course, stinkpots 
don't count).

Keep in mind too, it's a presidential election cycle...


Paul Krawitz wrote:
> Ed K,
>
> First of all, thanks for the invitation to South Carolina. Actually, there
> is terrific sailing here on the north shore of Long Island, where friends
> and I go out three times per week on sailboats ranging in size from 16 to 44
> feet. The marina constantly tries to steer me into a larger boat, since
> every winter I'm the runt on the lot. But I like my Rhodes best.
>
> I appreciate your strong feelings that in order to keep the list ongoing,
> that alternative discussions need to take place, or else the group will
> atrophy.
>
> But I'm not a "newbie." I've been a Rhodes owner on and off for the past 12
> years. I may not contribute that frequently, and you may not consider me
> "salty" enough, but recently I made a long post in response to the plethora
> of problems people were having with their Yamaha outboards. So I want to
> contribute.
>
> Yes, there are pen pal friendships (and even in-person friendships) made
> because of the newsgroup discussions.
>
> Terrific.
>
> It would be even better, in my opinion, to make the discussions sailing and
> boating related. And this could be loosely defined...interesting sailing
> venues, how does sailing help you to emotionally cope with stress, photos of
> get-togethers with other Rhodies, applauding Stan's magnificent writing and
> outstanding web site (which is what drives his sales after all these years),
> best practices to maintain your boat, how to get the Rhodes to point upwind
> better, sailing poetry, and more. In other words, not all the Rhodes
> discussions have to be posted looking for help to solve an emergency
> problem.
>
> To suggest that political commentary is necessary for the success of the
> group, and furthermore to acerbically attack the "newbie" for questioning
> the wisdom of placing political commentary on a sailing newsgroup, is both
> short-sighted and mean spirited. And it's unfortunate to see dispirited
> people leaving the list.
>
> There are several people who emailed me privately, agreeing that the group's
> politics have gotten out of hand and hurt rather than help the subscriber
> base. Unfortunately, they were afraid to post their comments and face the
> very public ridicule that I am braving.
>
> Ed, since you seem to be one of the group's most vocal proponents, perhaps
> you could initiate a weekly discussion on pertinent sailing topics and ask
> everyone to respond. That would make the group both more vibrant and on
> target.
>
> Paul K
> "Clarity"
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