Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 23:58:37 -0400
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
From: Candy Madigan <candymadigan at mindspring.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: WSFA and hosts
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

Oh for Ghod's sake!  *Both* sides of this argument are acting like high
school students.  So some people don't like one person and some other
people don't like the other person.  Big deal.  Just because you don't like
someone isn't any reason to try to get them kicked out of the club, or to
go off in a huff because they were rude to you.  Yes, Lee was inexcusably
rude to Keith, maybe even unforgivably so, that is not a reason to turn
this into a war.  I agree that Lee is using her position as WSFA hostess
inappropriately.  Yup.  She is.

In the meantime, Keith is over reacting to a statement that means
*nothing*.  To use his own analogy, he's been working on a tapestry for
years and Lee told him that it was ugly.  That does not destroy the
tapestry.  It's insulting, but if the tapestry is any good to begin with,
being told its ugly doesn't change it.  It is either ugly, or it isn't.  If
it isn't, then Lee saying it is just makes her look like a fool.  But over
reacting to her telling you that it is ugly makes other people take a
closer look and say, "You know, she might have a point."  If you don't want
people to think that she just might be right, its best to just shrug and
say, "Lee doesn't like my tapestry, but I think if you look at it, you will
see for yourself that it is good."

Is Lee conducting a slander campaign?  I don't know.  I do know that when
someone tells me something, I consider the source.  Let's presume for the
sake of argument that she is conducting a slander campaign.  Do you believe
her?  If so, why?  What is her history?  Can what she tells you be
trusted?  What do you know about the person she is slandering?  Have you
ever caught them in a falsehood?  *Is it possible that one or both of them
is just mistaken and not even actually lying?*  Lee apparently believes
that Keith actually lied.  OK.  Lee believes that Keith lied.  *Lee*
believes that Keith lied.  Just because *Lee* believes it doesn't mean that
the rest of the world believes it.

This is like the celebrities that don't bother suing the tabloids over
libel, because all anyone will remember is the rumor, and not the
denial.  That's what is going on here.  Screaming "I'm innocent!  I'm
innocent!  I'm innocent!" to the four corners just makes people want to
know what you were accused of, it's a great way to keep the slander fresh
in people's minds instead of letting it be forgotten.

Anyway, the point of this is...

People, grow up.  Yes, you don't like each other.  OK.  Live with
it.  That's what adults do.  They don't turn some stupid argument between
two club members into an excuse to rip the club apart.

So now that I have said this, *both* sides are going to want to kick *me*
out of the club.  Oh well, at least they will be united in *something*.

Candy
(301)345-6635