slow process - but vote!

[Jeff Deby]

Hello all,

Note: This message is slightly but not extremely long, but I beg you to
take a few minutes to read it.

As a  comment on how this process has been going on the list, I don't
find the protracted process annoying or frustrating at all, in contrast
with some recent postings.  Also,  I don't like the idea of
fast-tracking an agenda or charter/mandate.  I'm just as excited about
getting GALA up and running as the next person, but I believe that
things like this take time to do well, and people have other lists,
other obligations; I'd rather people take the time to think about it
than either respond without thinking or just give up trying to keep up.
I like reading the comments, and rolling them around in my head for a
bit.  Sometimes people take a while before they bring up something
important.  For example, I think Mary Bucholtz's (it was you Mary,
wasn't it?) comment about there already being other journals in lg and
gender is and *extremely* important issue to consider when planning
when/if/how we do one ourselves (for example, does this sway our
preference to a possible journal being on-line rather than print, to
capture a different niche, be accessible nearly worldwide, and also mark
it as forward-looking?).   And as Alice Freed mentioned, and I agree,
many people (including myself) were unaware of these existing journals,
perhaps because of geography, or perhaps because the journals are not
directly related to or coming from their fields. It was a while before
this came up, and I think it's important -- sometimes these things just
take time.

I in fact *like* that we're starting from the bottom up, and hashing out
these issues, and commend the moderators for thinking them out and
presenting them so carefully and methodically.  I also thank the
contributors for the generally  constructive and non-attacking stance
that I've seen in the messages; I believe this manner of discussion
holds  much more practical potential than flame wars over all the issues
(I've seen this happen elsewhere). I would much prefer to be part of an
organization that is created in this manner, with slow-forming but
eventually more thought-out, solid foundations.  I also don't see the
benefit of rushing.  Is there a time pressure or constraint that I am
unaware of?

Also, just because people aren't speaking up on the the list doesn't
mean that they aren't thinking. I myself watch with great attention but
am somewhat intimidated to post to the entire list for a number of
reasons (like that I'm "only" a grad student and don't know enough about
the field, that I'm male and I am wary of situations where men's voices
clamour the loudest on feminist issues, that I don't want to send a
message to the whole group that just says "yeah, I agree with what X
said", and more) -- perhaps this is the situation for some others, too.

One sign that people are actually thinking silently would be high voter
turnout with low levels of discussion, which I don't think is happening.
If only a handful (the number 15 was mentioned -- is this for real? only
15 people care enough to think and vote?) of people aren't voting on the
issues, this implies to me that people are either apathetic or extremely
trusting that we're all in agreement.  Either way, this disturbs me.  If
people really don't care what kind of group GALA turns out to be, it
would be helpful to state this to the moderators explicitly, and then
the vote turnout will be more accurately interpretable, or perhaps we
could dispense with voting altogether and just have an amalgamation of
the thoughts of the 15 (or whatever number of people actually care) as
our charter.  I doubt this is what anyone wants.

So, my GALAtian colleagues, please vote. This is our professional field,
and I believe GALA will be the dominant voice in it once it's up and
running.  This is our opportunity, and, I would add, responsibility, to
make it what we want.  Where else in your life have you had such an
occasion to shape the organizations which affect you?  Consider: your
vote and comments here will have a much greater impact than your vote
in, say, your national elections.

This msg is a bit wordier than I intended, and as I've said, I'm a bit
intimidated to post to the list, but I feel that this is important
enough that I wanted to bring it up.

Optimistically,

Jeff
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Jeff Deby
Georgetown University
Jeff_Deby at bc.sympatico.ca
www.georgetown.edu/users/debyj
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