Moderation of alt.sources through Mass Annoyance

[John Ruckstuhl]

Someone writes:
>I hate form letters (and computer telephone calls and ...) with such a
>passion that I'd be likely to mail you 10 copies of it back and then
>slap on a mailbox filter to keep you out.

Many people claim to dislike form letters.  I am no psychologist, but I
wonder if these people have, without thinking, generalized their
irritation at bulk mailed advertisements and time-wasting telephone
calls to the distinct superset of form letters.

Are such people annoyed by the monthly Church bulletin?  The appointment
reminder from their dentist?
Email replies generated by a "vacation" program?  The automatic
acknowledgements from a moderated newsgroup like comp.dcom.telecom?
How do these people resolve their (assumed) acceptance of newspapers and
trade journals?  Books?  These publications are obviously not
personalized.

Form letters are part of efficient communications.  The two-page form 
letter from a relative at Christmas may be hard to get used to, but it's 
better than the two-line "Merry Christmas", unless you're the
sensitive/easily-offended type (in my opinion).

Of course, I may learn from other points of view during this
discussion.
But now, I believe persons who would be offended by such a form letter
are exactly the set of people who would be offended by a custom letter,
plus (union) the set of people who irrationally claim to dislike form
letters.  And, I believe that most of those offended would claim the
source of the offense was the form nature of the notice (regardless of
the true source of irritation), because that claim is more socially 
acceptable.  Until people realize it's silly.

Argh.  I didn't mean to start a fight.  I don't have time to fight.

Regards,
ruck.
-- 
John R Ruckstuhl, Jr			ruck at alpha.ee.ufl.edu
Dept of Electrical Engineering		ruck at cis.ufl.edu, uflorida!ruck
University of Florida			ruck%sphere at cis.ufl.edu, sphere!ruck