From: Mike McNally <m5@vail.tivoli.com>
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1996 13:32:53 +0800
To: Duncan Frissell <frissell@panix.com>
Subject: Re: Rating Problems
In-Reply-To: <2.2.32.19960617201720.00753fc0@popserver.panix.com>
Message-ID: <31C5D761.718@vail.tivoli.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Duncan Frissell wrote:
> 
> The recent CDA decision pointed out some of the problems involved in
> rating Net content.  

That reminds me.  As someone who hasn't yet given up on WiReD in disgust
(instead, I get it and read it faithfully in disgust), I was particularly
pissed-off at the latest "Kids Net Rights" issue.  Jonathan Katz
huffs and puffs about how "nobody in the digital world" protests the
idea of rating schemes to keep non-adults away from information, and 
indeed claims that "the digerati" (grrr) are pushing rating schemes with
great gusto to save themselves from censorship.

I guess by "nobody", he probably means "nobody who hangs out in the same
trendy espresso bars as the WiReD trendmeisters".  I've seen plenty of
invective directed at the concept of rating systems in general, from
a variety of people including Tim May and li'l ol' me.  That's been here
and on some various newsgroups.

______c_____________________________________________________________________
Mike M Nally * Tiv^H^H^H IBM * Austin TX    * pain is inevitable  
       m5@tivoli.com * m101@io.com          *
      <URL:http://www.io.com/~m101>         * suffering is optional