After a Park Slope mother complained on a local listserv about the ice cream vendors that are befouling a local playground, her lament went ’round the world with a slew of mostly mocking news stories about the dust-up.
This reaction did not go appreciated by Park Slope parents, and now, the keepers of the listserv have put a kibosh on any more discussion of the frozen dairy treats and their interloping purveyors:
“We are calling a HALT to all discussion of the ice cream thread and the responses it has received,” reads a message sent out by the list’s moderator. “For me the best news is that clearly there isn’t any REAL news to cover or this wouldn’t have received the coverage it did. It is time to focus on spring, holidays, vacations, and the great things our neighborhood has to offer.”
The message went on to remind those who sign up for the Park Slope Parents list forwarding messages to the press is not allowed and that “our list is awesome.”
Full message below:
Hey All,
We are calling a HALT to all discussion of the ice cream thread and the responses it has received. For me the best news is that clearly there isn’t any REAL news to cover or this wouldn’t have received the coverage it did. It is time to focus on spring, holidays, vacations, and the great things our neighborhood has to offer.
We do want to remind you that while this is a private group, it’s a private group of thousands of people. While we’d like to think that everyone respects that privacy, we should know that we can’t count on that. As we remind you in your joining agreement, belonging to PSP is contingent on respect for the privacy of your fellow members. Forwarding group or private messages to other people, websites, or blogs, without their expressed approval, is not allowed. Think before pressing ‘send.’ You should be willing to tell a person to their face what you are writing to them (within the spirit of community, in a kind and respectful way). Finally, the seeming anonymity of email should not be an excuse for incivility.
Our list is awesome. In the past week a woman posted about miscarriage and received an outpouring of support. People are getting help with their fences, go-karts camps, and assistance in talking to kids about where and how babies are made. We’re offering help to parents raising secular kids and dealing with religious families. We’d be just as helpful with parents raising religious kids dealing with secular families. So bring your issues, your dilemmas, your thoughts, your questions and your answers to PSP. We are a diverse, wonderful group of parents with lots of different perspectives!
Park Slope Parents
