🚀 go-pugleaf

Geoff Winkless wrote:
> The Tattie Howker wrote:
> 
>> The thing about customs is that, apart from reporting by sociologists 
>> etc., they are not written down. They are habitual
> 
> 
> That's true, and in small closed communities like island dwellers 
> customs are all which is required to keep life running smoothly. However 
> in a world where outsiders are liable to arrive then we have these 
> things called laws which are basically customs written down, so that 
> those outsiders can come in and behave in a way which is acceptable to 
> the natives.

It depends on how many outsiders you get (we get a few but they usually 
get bored and move on or stay and join our custom).

Laws are only needed when customs are constantly flouted to the 
annoyance of most of the people seeking to go along with the custom. And 
when lawyers are considered a lesser evil.

Besides, you need to be able to apply the law. What are we going to do 
to someone who breaks that 'law' with an inappropriate post? Moan about 
them?

>  >  and accepted.
> 
> Now with that I disagree. Customs are constantly challenged by new 
> generations. Which is quite apt in this particular instance.

Then they are not customs anymore. Some dictionaries even suggest that 
customs are as good as law. Common law is a reasonable example in 
England and Wales.

>> The trouble is that posters on ed.general don't feel they have to 
>> support every startup business by reading their adverts. 
> 
> 
> Fine. The people who post their adverts can keep on posting them, 
> though, because you have no charter, and no way of proving that the 
> majority of users in the group are unhappy with the idea of adverts. If 
> you want them to stop then there's a fairly easy way to do it.

So we'd do what if they continued to post if there was a 'law'. Here we 
can complain and hopefully they will realise that they are annoying and 
repulsing their market rather than attracting it.

>> Its a bit like suggesting that we should put up with adverts on the 
>> BBC to help out struggling start ups. 
> 
> 
> It's more like suggesting that walking down the road you should have to 
> put up with someone putting a sign in their window saying "lemonade for 
> sale".

Not quite. It is part of the nature of the group that I have to read 
things to see what they are. Placement of adverts therefore interferes 
with my reading of the group (even if its only the headers and some 
people may have to download the posts). Your sign doesn't interfere with 
my walking (unless its a wonderbra add, perhaps).

TTH