Date: Mon, 08 Mar 2004 21:59:49 -0500
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
From: Elspeth Kovar <ekovar at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Re: Re: Re: The Fannish Inquisition
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

At 06:04 PM 3/8/04, Ted White wrote:

>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Barry L. Newton" <bnewton at ashcomp.com>
>To: "WSFA members" <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
>Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 1:10 PM
>Subject: [WSFA] Re: Re: The Fannish Inquisition
>
> > Interestingly, Ted White said:
> >
> > >As I thought.  You know nothing about the main tradition in fanzines.
> > >
> > >--Ted White
> >
> > Ted, this is unnecessary and unappreciated by anybody save (perhaps)
> > yourself.  Get a life.
>
>It's a shame that WSFA, once founded by fanzine fans and long a force in
>fanzine fandom, is now populated mostly by people who think the current
>WSFA JOURNAL epitomizes fanzines and remain ignorant of what fanzines are
>actually about.   For nearly three years I supplied a fanzine review column
>to the WSFA JOURNAL in hopes of opening a few eyes.   It was an entirely
>futile task.  *Not one* WSFAn ever requested a copy of any of the fanzines
>I reviewed as a consequence of reading those reviews.  (A possible
>exception might be MIMOSA -- but I think Rich made them available at
>meetings himself.)
>
>That Lee Strong speaks in nearly total ignorance when he speaks of fanzines
>(he thinks they're clubzines and exist to print book and movie reviews), is
>a fact that I observe.  It's a shame if you feel the need to see this
>ignorance perpetuated, but I'll live with it quite easily.   WSFA figures
>minimally in my life.

Ted, no one has said or, most likely, even thinks that the WSFA Journal
epitomizes fanzines.  Indeed and as you mention, we have for some years had
a Hugo-winning fanzine regularly available to read as a counter
example.  Some of us who aren't fanzine fans have made an effort to learn
about fanzine fandom despite the often more-Smoffish-than-thou attitude of
many of the practitioners.  And, personally, I've read your reviews and
have been interested in some but I know better than to ask for copies
because I know that I can't keep up with my reading as it is -- Ansible,
which I get via email, and Mimosa are enough although I sometimes glance at
Emerald City to see what the author is saying these days.  (Locus doesn't
qualify anymore, and by your negative definition I don't think that you'd
consider Emerald City a fanzine.)

Perhaps rather than attacking people and making sweeping generalizations
you might try saying what you think fanzines are and why they exist.  Being
aggressively rude -- directly to Lee, to many of us by your
generalizations, and to all of us on this list by the process -- certainly
doesn't advance your cause.  You've long made it clear that you don't like
or respect Lee which is entirely between the two of you.  Would you kindly
keep it that way?

And maybe next time you could respond in a way which is actually
useful.  Many of us may, as you claim, be ignorant but most of us,
including Lee, enjoy learning things.  Rather difficult to do so from
someone who's frothing.

Elspeth