Clearing out
Sep. 5th, 2004 07:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
j4We have just evicted the mother of all spiders from our beer cupboard under the stairs:
I was rather sad to see it go; it was big and furry and rather sweet in an ugly kind of way, and it wasn't doing anybody any real harm.
After that, I cleared out my inbox by deleting all the "Girl's Own" mailing list messages, having just unsubscribed from said list. For a while I've felt that I didn't really belong there, and then I received this by email:
Well, they're right; I do have opinions about all sorts of irrelevant things, and I tend to be quite outspoken, and I'm not good at confining my conversation to the wide-eyed vacant lists of "books that are really nice" (and occasionally, more controversially, "books that are horrid so I don't read them") that a lot of people seem content with. I've blethered on about housework and baking and times-tables (though I haven't started any off-topic threads as far as I can recall, just joined in with other people's) more than I have about books recently because whenever I mention a book the conversation immediately stops. Probably because I use big words like "character" and "style", and don't burst into inconsolable tears if somebody doesn't like my favourite author.
The person who sent me the email quoted above suggested that if I was bored I should run a book discussion. I'm not "bored", I'm just being driven out of my mind by the drivelling inanity which makes up 90% of the list's content, and utterly mystified as to how the interesting and intelligent 10% of contributors have managed to put up with it for so long. And the last thing which is likely to help with that is to be forced to set a load of primary-school homework questions ("In Clichés in the Lower Fourth, do you think Emily-Jane is a nice person? Should she have told tales on Malvina? Why does Miss Bobbins give her a ticking-off?") for the sort of people who think Enid Blyton is intellectually challenging.
On the whole, I miss the spider more.
I was rather sad to see it go; it was big and furry and rather sweet in an ugly kind of way, and it wasn't doing anybody any real harm.
After that, I cleared out my inbox by deleting all the "Girl's Own" mailing list messages, having just unsubscribed from said list. For a while I've felt that I didn't really belong there, and then I received this by email:
over the past couple of months, in off-list conversations, at least a dozen - maybe more, I certainly haven't been keeping track - of the more interesting & longtime GOers have mentioned that you are a bit too opinionated on *every single topic* that comes up & that you always seem to have to have the last word. Some of them are even becoming reluctant to post because they think you're going to pounce/belittle them. Part of this may be an age thing - I think most of the more active GOers are 40+ (35+ anyway) & for many this is the only list they're on and the tone *is* generally pretty collegial. Their reaction - even *my* reaction - is rapidly becoming 'Oh god - *her* again.' To be really blunt, you're getting up people's noses.
*Nobody* really thinks the list should be all sweetness & light and we should just be talking about the 'nice school stories' and if you scroll back through the archives you'll find plenty of threads (inc lots of mine) that are fairly controversial/serious. But *not all the time.* I'd strongly suggest that you back off a bit and really listen to the tone of your posts. You'll find you do come across very strongly, not on important stuff but on topics that are really irrelevant fluff that nobody gives a damn about, and it makes you seem very aggressive. So give it a break. This list *is* mainly to talk about GO books and every single OT thread doesn't have to be relentlessly pursued, chewed & battled over.
Well, they're right; I do have opinions about all sorts of irrelevant things, and I tend to be quite outspoken, and I'm not good at confining my conversation to the wide-eyed vacant lists of "books that are really nice" (and occasionally, more controversially, "books that are horrid so I don't read them") that a lot of people seem content with. I've blethered on about housework and baking and times-tables (though I haven't started any off-topic threads as far as I can recall, just joined in with other people's) more than I have about books recently because whenever I mention a book the conversation immediately stops. Probably because I use big words like "character" and "style", and don't burst into inconsolable tears if somebody doesn't like my favourite author.
The person who sent me the email quoted above suggested that if I was bored I should run a book discussion. I'm not "bored", I'm just being driven out of my mind by the drivelling inanity which makes up 90% of the list's content, and utterly mystified as to how the interesting and intelligent 10% of contributors have managed to put up with it for so long. And the last thing which is likely to help with that is to be forced to set a load of primary-school homework questions ("In Clichés in the Lower Fourth, do you think Emily-Jane is a nice person? Should she have told tales on Malvina? Why does Miss Bobbins give her a ticking-off?") for the sort of people who think Enid Blyton is intellectually challenging.
On the whole, I miss the spider more.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-09-05 02:38 pm (UTC)I think the GO woman was trying to be helpful. And she did say at the beginning "this is not a flame", so god help me if she ever decides to flame me. [dons asbestos knickers]
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Date: 2004-09-05 02:39 pm (UTC)I certainly don't think anything she said was fair at all, I was on the GO list for a couple of weeks and it was far too full of meaningless crap for my liking.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-05 02:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-05 02:46 pm (UTC)I would rather have a list full of intelligent, witty people like you rather than one full of people that want to talk about the books and nothing else.
FFS at some point you have to look at the world outside of fiction :)
no subject
Date: 2004-09-05 03:28 pm (UTC)Not only does it seem that most of the subscribers on GO are over 40 - not that there's anything wrong with that, says this old fart at play - but also it appears by the tone of their postings most of them are wearing hessian directoire knickers as they type. Sod 'em.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 01:15 am (UTC)Not fair on the spider!
Working on the CS slash, though.
And there's nothing wrong with being over 40! Some of my best friends are over 40. ... Well, okay, one of my former best friends. The one who's just dumped me.
Where did I put that spider.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-05 03:36 pm (UTC)Cow. Like the spider though.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 03:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 03:27 pm (UTC)<looks pointedly at
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 04:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 03:32 pm (UTC)Heh. Possibly. Given that there are people on there who don't have full-time jobs, though, I hardly think I'm the top candidate for that kind of jealousy!
Anyway, ta for the compliment but I think the list will just have to manage without me. Even if I might have reconsidered before (unlikely, to be honest) I've well and truly burnt my boats now... still, never look back, eh?