For : Bethany Dumb Ass (fwd)

[Lynne Murphy]

I agree with Gerald C and Bethany that she shouldn't have to suffer the
e-mail abuse alone.  I also agree with Gerald C that a note should be
written to that list (or whatever it is), but I think (contrary to
LJT777 at AOL.COM) that it is the person who forwarded Bethany's note to the
list (and thus allowed for her to be harassed in this way) who bears the
responsibility for doing so.  If the person who originally posted the joke
were to mail to that list, I think it's predictable that he would then
become the subject of added e-mail harassment.  He's apologized to us, and
that is all that he is responsible for.  If instead the forwarder sends it
to that group, then it's an insider to that group who is serving as the
emissary from our group, and the cycle of harassment should stop there.
Besides, s/he will already know how to contact the group!

Back to my harping about e-mail etiquette, could LJT777 at AOL.COM (and
everyone else) please sign your notes?  (I don't believe you're Groucho
Marx!)   Alternatively, you could put your name into the user settings for
e-mail in your system so that your name is associated with your e-mail
address in the headers of your e-mails.  (I have no idea how to do that on
AOL, but oh well.)


Lynne


M Lynne Murphy
Lecturer in Linguistics
School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QH
UK

phone +44-(0)1273-678844
fax   +44-(0)1273-671320