Bapopik

[Jesse Sheidlower]

> As an amateur without academic credentials, I've been very hesitant to
> comment on a person who is apparently a noted authority, but frankly I
> have been annoyed with Mr. Popik's voluminous and seemingly immaterial
> comments on such things as foreign terms not included in OED, imagined
> personal slights from people with better things to do, and long-winded
> excerpts from ephemera whose ephemeral status is well-deserved.

You don't have to read it. There are professionals here who find an
enormous amount of value in his ceaseless researches into subjects
that many amateurs consider well-deservedly ephemeral.

> There have been some gems in his material, but not enough to warrant the
> dreck he has produced,

In your opinion. Others would differ.

> I have been, and shall continue to be, deleting any further e-mail
> with his name as sender without bothering to read it.

OK. This is easy enough to do; you could even set up a filter to
prevent Barry's mail from even appearing in your in-box.

> I am reporting this not to urge anyone else to join me in this embargo
> (after all, I'm just a dabbler, while he is presumably a professional),

Actually, as Barry very frequently posts--most recently, yesterday--he
is an amateur. He also mentioned last week that the headquarters of his
job was--or, rather, had been--in the World Trade Center.

> but merely to request that any of your replies to him be phrased with the
> understanding that not everyone with an interest in _your comments will
> have bothered to read his original messages.

I'm sorry, but because _you_ don't want to read Barry's posts, _we_ should
all change our behavior to accommodate you? Barry's posts are archived
along with the rest of the list; if you want to catch up you can go to
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?S1=ads-l and do so.

Jesse Sheidlower