the list

[Beverly Flanigan]

At 10:03 PM 8/13/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>On Tue, Aug 13, 2002 at 06:20:25PM -0400, JS wrote:
>
>Perhaps you misunderstand the purpose for this list, which is intended
>for academic professionals and other serious linguists to discuss matters
>of relevance to the English language in America. It is not supposed to be
>a place where anyone can wander in and have any random comment addressed
>at length by experts, regardless of merit. It is a "public forum" because
>we haven't felt the need to make it private, but it doesn't have to be so.
>If our ability to have discussions is seriously hampered by the need to
>address, at length, what Dennis Preston, who knows more about popular
>beliefs on language than anyone else in the world, so accurately calls
>"specious crap", then I'm sure we would consider restricting membership
>to ADS-L.
>
>Indeed, I think we spend quite a bit of time on this list addressing
>straightforward comments and questions from the G.P., far more than on
>other academic lists I'm on; relatively speaking we're an enormously
>welcoming place.
>
>I don't know why you continue to present this as some sort of "expert"
>vs. "little folk" battle, when it's been made abundantly clear that
>formal credentials have absolutely no bearing on what goes on here.
>
>Jesse Sheidlower

We've talked several times over the past how many years about closing the
list to ADS members only.  I think it's time to revisit that discussion.  I
know of several ADS members who in fact have dropped the list because of
"specious crap," not to mention excessive personal handwringing.