>Is it the internet, its immediacy, the
>sense of just saying whatever pops into our head, that enables us to
>neglect the fine work of others and start everything all over again as if
>it's new? This is said without malice and it's not directed at anyone in
>particular. But as a film scholar and an editor of a journal, I'd at least
>like to think that what I do and my colleagues do in spending time, effort
>and much blood, sweat and, yes, tears, to produce our work at least gets
>some acknowledgement by the audience for whom the work is intended. Even
>if you hate the work, and, especially if you disagree, you at least owe it
>not just to us, but to yourself, to work through the stuff first, to
>acknowledge it.
>
>Respectfully,
>
>David Desser
I really dislike this line of reasoning, especially because I'd like to
think that the internet has many possibilities for use, and can be
something other than a forum for "acknowledging" work by "the audience for
whom the work is intended." Yes, of course, you should be acknowledged for
what you're doing. But it seems like the appropriate response, should you
feel as though we are discussing these issues without giving credit to you
and yours, should be to simply state (as I have seen done before, and quite
respectfully): "there has been a lot of work done on this, for example,
etc." I study film, but I don't know everything there is to know about it,
and I enjoy almost all of the postings on Screen-L, even if my knowledge of
a particular subject seems broader than that of many of the other
participants. I don't fault people at a party if a discussion begins in
which the people haven't done all their homework. THat's the point of
*conversing*: everyone gets to learn, and everyone gets to teach.
Kristine J. Butler
Department of French and Italian
University of Minnesota
260 Folwell Hall, 9 Pleasant St. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0122
[log in to unmask]
----
To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L
in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]
|