Date:  Fri, 7 Nov 1997 09:06:48 -0500
From:  Gregory {Greg} Downing <downingg[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]IS2.NYU.EDU>
Subject: Re: Bring Back Barry

At 10:12 AM 11/7/97 +0800, you wrote:
>> If Barry's not gonna play, I'm not gonna play either! Who else are we
>> going to get to write those dialogues. . . or search through 19th
>> century magazines for citations?
>

Have the ayes had it? If someone is collecting votes, I eye an Aye.

But, as someone who has listened and talked on a lot of liter and lang
lists, I understand what the gripe was: it's great to have posters who have
both the substantive stuff and also some modicum of entertainment value.
Some however maybe felt Barry talked too much about his personal life
without it being tied in clearly to the subject at hand, and also felt that
he had critical words quite often for everything that does not exhibit his
own high standards for source-tracing and accuracy -- which is a leaves a
lot of institutions and venues for Barry to criticize, given all the efforts
required to meet those standards, and that it in not the top or even a high
priority for people whose jobs are more practical (journalists, etc.).

I'm sure if Barry began posting again and left enough of "himself" in the
posts to sugar the content, without as many off-topic narratives or
criticims of others (newspapers, libraries, magazines, etc.), those who
griped would have nothing left to gripe about, and everybody could be happy,
including Barry who from his posts has been through a lot this year, and yet
has managed to throw himself into his usual solid work anyway.

So come back Barry -- but think about the whole of the audience before you
press that send button!

Greg Downing/NYU, at greg.downing[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]nyu.edu or downingg[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]is2.nyu.edu