On 18-Jul-07, at 4:21 PM, Guido van Rossum wrote:
I'm just speaking for the majority of list members who are tired of your and Kirby's (and it the past Arthur's) rants. I really don't care about arguments "proving" that the list charter is what you want it to be. Most people want it to be something else. Check the recent discussions. Almost nobody has spoken in defense of you or Kirby, many responded with an enthusiastic "+1" to my original proposal to ban politics.
And while folks are threatening to dive into the archives to find justification for their ideological battles, keep an eye out for the many, many people who came to the list hoping to find help in using Python in their roles as teachers or students, only to get turned off by the often ugly tone of the discussions on this list. I've seen many postings of the "I've had enough, unsubscribing" variety over the years, and was on the verge of it myself when Guido chipped in with the "no more politics" suggestion/rule. I've tried to mediate between some of the arguments before, only to be told to fuck off (in those words) and mind my own business. So I've pretty much gone into lurk mode, because I don't need that kind of conflict in my life, thanks anyway. Even though I agree with most of what Paul F. and Kirby write here, and have a strong anti-school bias myself, this has never felt like the place for that type of rant. I don't see it as censorship to be asked to keep on topic for the list and not to drive off the very people the list is intended to serve. Back to the archives, could it be that Kirby (and Arthur when he was with us) were the engine of edu-sig because others had been driven off or into lurk mode? Not entirely, but I think there was a strong element of that. So, thank you Guido for speaking up. +1 --Dethe