[MD] Changes in 2011

[Andre Broersen]

Andre:
Same thread, completely different topic. Yes, the MD is in a bit of a 
state and I welcome any 'moderation'. It is suggested by some on this 
discuss that Horse's admonitions are some sort of plot forged by 'the 
fits', the oldies, the conservatives, the squares, the 
Pirsig-is-holy-don't-touch-him brigade to undermine and indeed sabotage 
the contributions of the 'misfits' (quite an unfortunate term).

It reminded me of something I am reading at the moment. I'll quote:
'This was what was keeping me awake at night,' Walter said.'This 
fragmentation. Because it's the same problem everywhere. It's like the 
internet, or cable TV- there's never any center, there's no communal 
agreement, there's just a trillion little bits of distracting noise. We 
can never sit down and have any kind of sustained conversation, it's all 
just cheap trash and shitty development. All the real things, the 
authentic things, the honest things are dying off. Intellectually and 
culturally, we just bounce around like random billiard balls, reacting 
to the latest random stimuli'.(J.Franzen 'Freedom' a novel,p218)

Someone asked of dmb in a recent post what the purpose is of being here 
and also questioning what it means to be 'reasonable'.

My take on this is that we are here to discuss Robert Pirsig's MOQ and 
no-one else's! Reasonable discussion is a discussion based around his 
metaphysics to work towards some sort of 'communal agreement' and 
furthering our understanding of Pirsig's MOQ. Reasonable is also being 
open to and accepting of contrary evidence and being persuaded by it 
should it provide high quality explanatory power in relation to what we 
are discussing here.

This is what the so called old guard is asking. Getting away from this 
superficial, you-tubing, twittering zap culture. The assertiveness with 
which some contributors keep on insisting to impress their take on 
Pirsig's MOQ has gotten out of reasonable proportion. Richard Bandler 
once said that assertiveness is a preparation for loneliness. I think he 
is right if the assertiveness becomes unreasonable.

The center of this MD is Pirsig's MOQ. Not anyone else's.

I fully support Horse in taking whatever action necessary to get the 
discussion focused and relevant.