[stylist] Stylist talk

[EvaMarie Sanchez]

List,

                Shelly is right. We have been off topic and inappropriate.
I have been the worst as I cautioned against it and then allowed myself to
be drawn into the conversation and become an active participant. It is true
that in past years there have been many unchecked discussions that have
often had little to do with the craft of writing. It is also true that in
past years people have been offended, insulted and driven off of the list.

                This is no longer acceptable. We do not need to lose
members due to a few people wanting to shun political correctness and
embrace their freedom of speech. Yes, we may learn things from the various
subjects that come up, but that does not mean we need to take them to the
extent of long drawn out interactive conversations. If something that
someone says intrigues us then we could research the subject or take the
time to talk offline. We do not need to flood the list with things that the
majority of people did not sign up for.

                Many of the list serves have division members designated as
moderators to thwart this type of activity and to restrict participation if
it becomes necessary. I hate to go that route, but if we need to, well it
will be a subject for the board which will also look into the need of
reconstituting the chat list. We do not want to lose any members because of
what we post. It is also true that many of the list members are not
Federationists, but that in itself is even more of a reason for the
Federation members to strive to be examples of the Federation philosophy.
The subjects that are posted on the Writers’ Division list serve, need to
be writing related.

                We are working on some new endeavors and it is anticipated
that we will be having an increase of membership coming soon. Let’s start
putting appropriate behavior into practice now. If only one person is
offended, then that is one person too many. And again, I apologize for
being a part of letting the conversations get out of hand and will strive
to do better, just as I hope that we will all make an effort to do so. Of
course we want to know what is going on in each other’s lives, but we do
not need to spend forever discussing everything to the point of making
people uncomfortable. If this seems unreasonable, perhaps you would feel
better talking privately or posting elsewhere.

                Now I apologize for sounding hardnosed, but this is
serious. We do not want to lose any more people due to a lack of
consideration.

Thank you, Eve Sanchez

 President, National Federation of the Blind Northern Arizona
President, National Federation of the Blind Writers' Division
Committee Chair, Arizona Association of Guide Dog Users
Affiliate Member, National Federation of the Blind Legislative Committee
Affiliate Member, National Federation of the Blind Membership Committee
Member, Slate & Style Editing Team

"You do not need to have vision to see the stars."