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["1610" "Sun" "21" "Feb" "93" "15:14:50" "-0500" "Richard Stallman" "rms@gnu.ai.mit.edu " nil "32" "Another mcuddy.." "^From:" nil nil "2"])
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From: rms@gnu.ai.mit.edu (Richard Stallman)
To: mcuddy@ctbu.rational.com
Cc: kabuki-west@mica.berkeley.edu
Subject: Another mcuddy..
Date: Sun, 21 Feb 93 15:14:50 -0500
In-Reply-To: <9302211920.AA19225@fensende> (message from Mike Cuddy on Sun, 21 Feb 1993 11:20:27 -0800)
Could people please not use this list to announce information of no
particular interest to the people on the list? Hundreds of thousands
of babies are born every day. While the whole phenomenon is menacing,
one of them by itself is not newsworthy. Nor is it a difficult
achievement--even some fish can do it. (Now, if you were a seahorse,
it would be more interesting, since it would be the male that gave
birth.)
Following your example, I might send the list an announcement whenever
a new GNU program is written. That happens less often than babies are
born, it does the world a lot more good, it reflects more conscious
creativity and hard work, and some of the readers might actually find
the information useful. Even so, I think most of the readers would
consider this outside the scope and purpose of the list. Clearly that
goes double for babies.
Of course, we have another place for announcements of new GNU
programs. If some people like to read birth announcements, perhaps
you should set up a suitable list or newsgroup. Perhaps rec.births?
(While you're at it, start rec.deaths for obituaries--they're usually
more interesting to read.)
These birth announcements also spread the myth that having a baby is
something to be proud of, which fuels natalist pressure, which leads
to pollution, extinction of wildlife, poverty, and ultimately mass
starvation.
Perhaps the people who have decided to have no children should start
making proud announcements, so as to set a better example. I could
start. I'm sure everyone on this list will be glad to know I don't
plan to reproduce myself.
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