Re: [atlarge-discuss] Pax pax...

["Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@ntlworld.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Satyajit Gupta <icheckemail@indiatimes.com>
I am sure anyone who is not part of the movement is either having a good
laugh or is disgusted by this vulgar display of acrimony in the group
archives...


-----Next Message -----
From: Richard Henderson richardhenderson@ntlworld.com

I'm disgusted at the tone of debate and yes, frankly, it's laughable...

Who do we think we are?

What a lack of magnanimity and courtesy... why would *anyone* want to join
us if we carry on like this?

Please participate objectively and constructively or it will be a stillborn
project

Let's look forward to the decision on the name, and then let's get in touch
with regional and national members to see what support exists... and try to
mobilise it

For the record, I believe Satyajit can vote for whoever he wants : I didn't
share his views, but I want a democracy where people are entitled to have
personal views without being insulted and villified. I would prefer this
organisation to be diverse and complex and even at times self-contradictory.

What are we? Diverse groups of individuals. Self-organising and free.
Jefsey's uncontrollable @large. Please don't try to "control" Satyajit. He
can be the @large anyway. We all can. Wherever we are. Whether we're voted
"in" or voted "out". There's no real "in" anyway. The @large is bottom up.
The @large is free of control. The @large is you and me, wherever we are,
creating community and networking (if we wish to).

Satyajit endorses someone different to me? Well I'm not going to have a
nervous breakdown over it!

Community is built by humour, friendship, tolerance, generosity of spirit,
idealism, romance, patience, kindness, surprise, encounters, inner peace,
honesty, openness, inclusiveness... lots of things like that

If we abandon social skills, if we abandon respect for minority opinion, if
we abandon the admirable qualities - then our community (however politically
correct or doctrinaire) will not be worth belonging to

I'm interested in the QUALITY of our community, starting with respect for
others. I'm interested in the SUBSTANCE of our community, more than its
interface with ICANN (though I'm interested in that too!).

But the level of acrimony is almost intolerable at times - bizarre even...

It drives me towards Jefsey's much more local vision of the @large

Its tempting to just go and re-organise, in place of an inbox of endless
embittered arguments

I personally regard Vittorio as a sane and courteous colleague - I disagree
with some of his premisses - but I see the quality in him as a human
being... he is substantial... he is mature... he has taken a lot of
criticisms, but mostly endured them with patience

I can respect that

Now, personally, I hold Vivek and YJ in the highest regard. But if someone
wants to support a different candidate, then... that is democracy - for
goodness sake, shrug your shoulders, give a wry smile, and move on...

Life is too short...

There are some nations where democracy is used to suppress legitimate
minorities ... I would not like to see that culture or that tribalistic
mentality taking over our panel or our methodology... our organisation must
never become like them... even if "cabinet members" disagree (and I hardly
see the @ large as having a cabinet anyway!)... but even then... democracy
must accommodate that fact... without internecine warfare breaking out!

Democracy is not "majority" outvotes "minority"... democracy is a quality of
life built upon bottom-up values... a democracy is generally defined by the
way it respects diverse minority views - or it is not democracy

The terrible things I see in Zimbabwe, in the Holy Lands, in Chechnya...
they are often done purportedly in the name of democracies... and voices of
internal dissent are rarely listened to... the processes of democracy may
simply "legitimise" the tyranny of democracy... Mugabe claims "victory" in a
climate of intimidation and fear... Ariel Sharon "uses" democracy but turns
it into a travesty... and the right of the Chechen people to determine their
future for themselves is subordinated to the purported democratic will of an
imperialistic neighbour...

We need to make the quality of democracy so "attractive" that people want
what we have, want to join in, want to aspire to the dreams of what is
best - and... we should protect people different from ourselves

Democracy should be open and freedom of expression should be defended to the
end - including the right to vote (or endorse) as you judge best - that's
Satyajit's right, without having to explain himself, whether you or I agree
with him or not

Our @large should grow - from a multiplicity of local cells - with these
democratic values... but with a multiplicity of views and enthusiasms - that
is thehumanrace@large

That is the only @large I'm interested in belonging to

IMHO

Richard









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