[Air-l] Tyranny of a minority

[Kris Markman]

At 1:09 PM -0800 11/10/06, air-l-request at listserv.aoir.org wrote:
>Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 10:48:35 -0800 (PST)
>From: Sam Tilden <tildensam at yahoo.com>
>Subject: [Air-l] Tyranny of a minority
>To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
>Message-ID: <20061109184835.21646.qmail at web58313.mail.re3.yahoo.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>   
>   Several days ago I took exception to a rant by Elijah Wright 
>(about Tim Beriers-Lee) on this list. As a result, I was flamed by 
>Jeremy Hunsinger followed shortly by a request from Charles Ess to 
>prove that I am who I say I am.
>   
>   I have been respectful, contributory and have broken no rules 
>either implicit or explicit.
>   
>   Charles, Elijah, and Jeremy are on a hunt to purify the 
>intellectual integrity of this list. They have accused me of being a 
>pseudononymous personality and therefore in violation of the rules 
>set up by the executive board of AOIR.
>
><snip>
>
>   The new rules expressed by Matt Allen recently codify the power of 
>a few people to remove you if you get out of line. They don't even 
>have to give a  reason. Trial by innuendo is the rule not the 
>exception. This is an anathema to everything I believe is important 
>in scholarship.
<snip>

I am responding to this thread as a member of this list and a member 
of AoIR. I believe these accusations to be unfair and unfounded. I 
read this list every day, and I see no evidence of a "hunt" nor a 
"tyranny."

I would also like to point out that the requirement to provide 
evidence of one's identity upon joining this list is not a "new" 
rule. I joined this list in July 2002, and I still have the email 
sent to me by then-list manager Charlie Breindahl asking me to inform 
him briefly about my identity as part of confirming my list 
subscription. This rule therefore long predates Matthew Allen's 
tenure as President of AoIR (I believe Steve Jones was President at 
the time?). Frankly, I did not think it an unreasonable request at 
the time, and I continue to believe that it is a reasonable 
expectation to hold for a community of scholars and professionals.
-Kris Markman
-- 
**********	**********	**********	**********
Kris M. Markman, Ph.D.
Email: krism at alumni.utexas.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~kmmarkman
**********	**********	**********	**********