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Kent, I think we have different ideas about what this listserv should be. I tend to think of it as a pub where my friends & acquaintances (& a few disreputable weirdos) hang out; you seem to think of it as a debating society. (This is of course not the only way of thinking about Poetryetc & others here may have very different ideas.) That said, my sense that Lind is not serious is exactly to the point. I do not have "cold feet"--I just don't want to be bothered with him. Nevertheless, I have not suggested that he & thee should not engage in polemical fisticuffs, if that's what you want, though if you start to bust the place up, I'll ask that you "take it outside." I do think it's a little self-righteous, though, to dress up what amounts to a brawl as an edifying cultural exchange suitable for "wider publication." kent johnson wrote: > um, Joe, whether or not you or Candice believe Lind qualifies as a "serious" > thinker is really beside the point-- the issue is that he is *heard by many > and taken quite seriously by many*. That is the primary reason for > attempting to engage him and those in his orbit: not to sway him and the New > Criterion fellow-believers (which is highly unlikely, anyway) but because > forthright debate is a way of reaching others who *may* be willing to think > and consider the bigger issues with seriousness. This is why people publicly > debate. And this is why it would be important, as well, to keep open the > possibility of pursuing such a discussion, as I suggested earlier, into > wider publication. > > But it really seems silly to have to say any of this. I thought Lind would > be the most likely one to get "cold feet" first! > > Anyway, I haven't heard anything back yet, so maybe best to just sit back > and wait. If he doesn't respond, I'll publish my letter to him for the > record, with a response to his article by me or someone else. > > Kent > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com -- ====================== Joseph Duemer School of Liberal Arts, box 5750 Clarkson University Potsdam NY 13699 315.268.3967 [log in to unmask] http://web.northnet.org/duemer http://www.grammarbitch.com/ppp/index.html ======================