You're very kind, John. Here it is:
--
It's a noble and valiant thought and I hope it comes to fuition, even
though I am amongst the more jaded and close-to-back-turning (as well
as sharing Simon P's suspicion that all that happens is that the same
kinstrife and pettifoggery simply migrates). However, trying to be
more positive and in that spirit of list honesty, let me outline a
few thoughts of my own.
1. Let's let a thousand Gloranthas bloom. A commitment to creativity
and egalitarianism means accepting that Glorantha can support all
different kinds of play and styles, from gritty shades-of-grey epics
of moral ambiguity to clear-cut morality tales, from odes to the
civilising mission of the Lunar Empire to tales of Sartarite
liberation. That means more than just a tokenistic invocation of YGMV
but a genuinely internalised belief in the sovereignty of our
individual Gloranthas.
2. Let's stand on our own two feet. A corollary of #1 is a
recognition that while there are writers whose published work defines
canon, that canon only has the currency individuals choose to give it,
and no one's voice is louder or more authoritative than anyone
else's. No one. That means that crying off to daddy, aka Greg, in the
hope of getting backing for a personal view or some arbitration has
no place in adult discussion.
3. Let's create, not interpret. If a post is entirely responsive,
simply rebutting (or agreeing), let alone if rebutting a rebuttal,
then what good is it doing? If we want to convince others of our
points of view (and why should we?), then let us do so by showing
just how irresistibly cool/engaging/tragic/entertaining/miffic our
vision is.
4. Let us be courteous. The fact is that much humour does not
transmit through text, and those odious little smileys frankly are
too often just alibis ("you can't get angry at me, because after I
said something nasty and genuinely meant to you, I put a colon and
half a bracket, which magically gives me immunity" -- I now know why
the colon was so named). We don't have to agree; we don't even have
to like each other much. But we can be civilised.
5. Let us take care. If you can't be bothered to glance over what you
write before sending, why should I be bothered to read it? I'm not
saying that everything has to have perfect spelling and grammar, but
quickie posts are more likely to be pointless, thoughtless and devoid
of real content. Let us make our words count for something.
This is, of course, a purely personal manifesto...
--
All the best
Mark
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