From: Rimrunner <rimrun@halcyon.com>
To: rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc
Subject: Re: What happens to rassm at the end of May?
Date: 1999/03/12


In article <7cbk9n$ou2@newsstand.cit.cornell.edu>,
Simon H. Lee <shl10@cornell.edu> wrote:
>CardSafe@NOSPAMunix.asb.com (Rich Handley) lined up a few trillion
>electrons to make our screens read:
>>
>>My big annoyance is all the newbies who suddenly came out of the
>>woodwork yesterday and started flaming everyone who disliked the
>>trailer.  RASSM has always been a place where intelligent discussion
>>is welcome -- not profanity-filled rants from 6-year-old idiots who
>>just discovered the newsgroup.  Unfortunately, this is only going to
>>get worse as we get closer to the film.
>
>        Yes, but to some extent that's provoked people who don't have 
>much more to say than "It's gonna suck!  Nyah!"  Oh well, as I said in 
>my reply, some of us oldbies will have to tough it out and deal with the 
>signal-to-noise ratio, serving as a stolid bastion of rational 
>discussion, witty repartee, and hopefully as much skewed humor as we can 
>generate ;)

SCENE. In a swampy, backwater region of cyberspace, on a tiny host with a
slow upstream provider and an outdated OS. Sitting near the trickling
bitstream are RASSER, OLDBIE-WAN, and NEWBOY.

RASSER [disappointed]: I cannot teach him. The boy has no netiquette.

OLDBIE-WAN: He will learn netiquette.

RASSER: Much trollishness in him. Like Chucky, and Travis ILM.

OLDBIE-WAN: Was I any different when you taught me?

RASSER: He is not ready.

NEWBOY: Rasser! I am ready. I...Oldbie-Wan! I can be an oldbie too! Tell
him I'm ready...

RASSER: Ready, are you? What know you of ready? Since the earliest days of
Usenet have I trained oldbies. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be
trained! An oldbie must have the most impeccable netiquette, hm? The most
intelligent observations! [To OLDBIE-WAN] This one, a long time have I
watched. All his time on Usenet, has he posted one-line followups and
gratuitous flames. Never his mind on the topic at hand, hmm? Trolling.
Heh! Flaming. Heh! An oldbie craves not these things. [Turning to NEWBOY]
You...are a newbie!

OLDBIE-WAN: So was I, if you remember.

RASSER: He is too new. Yes, he must lurk for a time first.

NEWBOY: But I've learned so much.

RASSER [Sighs, to OLDBIE-WAN]: Is he capable of intelligent discourse?

NEWBOY: I won't fail you. I'm not afraid.

RASSER: You will be. Yes, you will be.

Rimrunner
no slights intended to either newbies or oldbies
-- 
Murder of Crows: http://www.nwlink.com/~noah WANT A CD? EMAIL ME!
"Hey, don't look at me; my ancestors only had six directions, and they
were only sacred if they led to lunch." -- Bill Woody