Alison Croggon has just signed off Poetryetc. Presumably everyone saw her
farewell message. I would simply note that over the last 24 hours Alison
insulted the entire list membership three times:
1. "I thought it was a given that no opinion rehearsed here has the
imprimatur of Divine Right. I only claim my own sensibility. I have reasons
for thinking as I do, and if questioned I will tell you what those reasons
are. I thought that this process was known as "discussion"; and certainly
during the many years I ran this list, it was described as a "discussion
list". Perhaps things have changed while I was looking elsewhere."
This came in as a response to an utterly inoffensive post that happened to
take issue with something Alison had written.
2. "Slumbrous"
That is Alison's characterization, just now, of this lively, interesting &
unwieldy amalgam of personalities.
3. "[Poetryetc] seems to have become so closed."
I hadn't noticed this new uptight & closed Poetryetc myself. Had you?
To Alison's friends & admirers, I would say that I am sorry it came to this,
but personally I found her bullying, hectoring style of argumentation, in
which she simply waved away those who disagreed with her & then changed the
subject or repeated what she had already said (at greater length) tiresome.
I have seldom run across a more humorless personality online. I think she
regretted giving up ownership of the list. I do not regret her decision to
leave.
Joseph Duemer
Poetryetc Co-Mgr.
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