[MR] Re: Starving Atlantian War Wagon salesman needing costomers

[Kenna McKenna]

Greetings all,

Randolf Garard posted <snippage>  If you or anyone you know is in the market
for a new Subaru, Hyundai or VW, <snippage>

and Alanna responds:

> I'm sorry, but this is not SCA related, even peripherally, and not the
> sort of thing that should be on the Merry Rose.  It might be allowable
> if it was your personal vehicle, but clearly it's not.  Please desist
> from further missives.

After much thought I have to disagree.

Though it may not be 'mainstream' to this list, IMO it is, indeed,
peripheral.  Personally, all other things being equal, if I am in the market
for goods or services I prefer to take my business to a fellow SCAdian.  I
don't object to a comrade-in-arms letting me know he's in a business that I
might be interested in patronizing.  My wife and I bought a "war wagon" to
haul our pennsic stuff  last year.  While I wouldn't have traveled all the
way to Randolf's stomping grounds to buy from him, if a local SCAdian had
been in his position I would have wanted to know and take my custom to him
or her.

My concern here is not that his post was only peripherally on-topic, but in
where does the perimeter lie, and who gets to set it.  There have been
several threads in the past six months or so where responses have been
posted saying that a topic was not appropriate, or that members of the
populace should not be commenting on it, and in effect, "Please desist from
further missives." To the best of my knowledge, Lord Kendrick Wayfarer is
the administrator of this list, and it is his position to say yea or nay, to
warn, and if necessary remove an offender from the list.

In any open forum there will be posts that some will hold to be egregiously
off topic.  Can we not credit each other with exercising the sense to
determine that if the poster doesn't think it appropriate they won't post?
Can we not presume that the members of this list are capable of using the
delete button or kill file?  While it may at times be inappropriate to post
an off-topic message, I think it is equally inappropriate to stifle
discussion with unilateral demands for silence.  YMMV.

Lest others misconstrue my point, and say I am doing the same and trying to
silence Alanna and others who object to a post's lack of topicality, I am
not.  Rather, I think we need to debate if there is a line that cannot be
crossed, and where that boundary lies, and should the boundary be crossed,
is chastisment the perogative of any list member, or does it rest solely
with the list administrator.  Perhaps My Lord Kendrick would care to
comment?

Randolf, good luck in your business.

Regards,

McKenna