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The phrase "the Cabal" may be deceptive. It is known that certain groups have their own cabals. No conspiracy theorising is involved because the more prominent members, like Tim "the man" Skirvin, are well known to the point of notoriety. But there is no reason (currently in hand) to believe that there is any effort to orchestrate the efforts of these cabals, aside from a tendency on their part to be mutually supportive regardless of their alleged ideological difference, as long as they respect each other's territory. Hence the "rule" of "Netiquette" which holds that one may not make postings that "go against the tone of the group", ie. challenge the group's consensus. Such a rule is anathema to a legitimate intellectual forum. If, however, one is seeking some petty exercise in self-assertion as one's goal online, this makes perfect sense. It is a matter of the social contract. You respect your neighbor's territory, in the hope that he will respect yours. One is not to trouble oneself with the "offensive" question of what it is that gives either of you the right to stake such a claim. Thus, in the turbulent formative years of such an orthodoxy, an entirely illegitimate system can be blessed with the illusion of being an expression of civility, and those who react to dissent with harassment can be seen as peacemakers, while those harassed are viewed as instigators. A slight variance from the unwholesome staus quo will cause an increase in the level of hostility. Some, conditioned to shy away from conflict, will find themselves unwilling to work through the difficult time that would have to pass before a legitimately peaceful atmosphere could be achieved. Some will even display enough naivite to ask "how can you say that you're making things better, when they're so visibly getting worse?". To this one might respond "If one is in a high mountain valley, must one not begin by stepping onto the higher ground around one if one wishes to visit the seacoast far below? Sometimes the only workable path to a desired goal will not lead directly toward it." As adults, they should know that the momentarily easy path is rarely the best one. Click here to continue. def. Netiquette : that body of collected whim (never discussed or defended on a rational level, or established in a democratic fashion, or by somebody who has earned his authority by legitimate means) which comes from the self-appointed "leaders" of a newsgroup or a number of newsgroups on Usenet, who gained their positions by harassing those who disagreed with them into no longer participating in said forums. |
