I've just opted out of this list. It is one of seven email "groups" I
subscribe to and the only one with so many members so eager to attack each
other personally and to argue with anything and everything that gets posted
just for the hell of it. I'm afraid to post anything because I know I'll get
a smart-ass, unhelpful, gratuitous response. For example, I make a simple
and true observation about milk -- that we are the only species who
continues to drink it past the point of weaning ... and get a "yeah, so
what" response from one member... a "who cares?" from another ... and  a
"big deal" from a third.

These kinds of responses serve absolutely no purpose and do nothing to
enlighten, educate, or inform ... which is what newsgroups are supposed to
do, right?

Maybe I'm older than most of you. Maybe I just don't know the "personality"
of this group. Maybe it's that aggressive hunter-gatherer persona. But I
sure can tell you my other newsgroups don't treat each other this way.

There have definitely been helpful, informative, balanced, fair, and
educational posts from lots of you. (Notably, Justin Hasselman, Todd Moody
and of course, Ray himself.) But an awful lot of you seem to want to argue
for the sake of arguing ... or disagree with someone just to disagree ... or
present an "I'm right, you're wrong" point of view that leaves no room for
honest, open, mature debate.

 I've been on the list for 3 weeks observing and getting to "know you,"
timidly posted my first question/comment a week or so ago ... then got the
backlash. WHOA! Wonder how many other newbies have been scared off by all
this attitude? That, my friends, is truly a shame. There is so much good,
informative content on this list. It shouldn't be overshadowed by a few
immature souls who feel the need to leave their mark on every topic covered
and attack anybody who thinks differently than they.

Signing off now -- don't bother to email me anything nasty; I won't read it.
I won't see your responses on the digest itself, though, so shred away

Robyn
MS Anthropology and Sociology, University of Chicago, 1979
Ph.d., Anthropology, University of Chicago, 1982