Phil,
I realise that you probably won't answer this, but I'm really very sorry you feel this way and that I should be a cause of you unsubscribing; whether you believe it or not, I try really quite hard to pass on material that I believe is of interest geographically and I try quite hard (probably unsuccessfully) to be self-critical.
I first started on this list when I was doing my PhD in about 1999-2000, I think, and the main reason that I began to post material was because when I joined it I really hoped that it would 'allow
members to share ideas, raise questions, provide answers and air opinions', as the rubric says. At that time the list was used almost exclusively for CFPs, conference announcements and the like (despite the membership of some of the finest geographers around), something which hasn't really changed that much during the period of my participation although the list membership has grown steadily - my postings and comments are as I see it and attempt to balance this and stimulate discussion.
I'm not sure that 'trolling' is really a relevant term for a list that claims to foster radical/critical thinking; is heated dispute not going to be axiomatic on such a list? Similarly, if you think that these postings do little to stimulate discussion, would some attempts of your own not help? It's a sad fact that although this list boasts thousands of members, very few contribute or take part in discussions, not because they're excluded but because they choose not to...
Best wishes,
Jon
Dr Jon Cloke
LCEDN/MEGS Research Associate
Geography Department
Loughborough University
Loughborough LE11 3TU
Office: 01509 228193
Mob: 07984 813681
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