Noah R.Olenych writes:
>
>
> Miriam,
>
> With all due respect, for your concerns and feelings are well
> justified by history, I think that you may be overconcerned about an
> interesting project to gather information on peoples thoughts on an
> issue. I think we were asked in a very polite way as to whether or not we
> wished to be quoted. She specifically asked for anyones concerns
> regarding being quoted. I wholeheartedly agree that in the past, silence
> has meant consent, and has been a longstanding problem in the rights of
> women, but I hardly feel any oppression on this issue! (Given:I am not a
> woman:-) I guess all I really wish to say is that someone is attempting to
> do something good, and I don't see why we can't all be a little more
> helpful. I can't see us really being used or decieved here. :) :-) :) :-)
>
> Respectfully,
> Noah
Yes, Noah, we were asked politely, and I do not for a moment doubt the
goodwill of the researcher, or the value of her work. My concern was that
on both logistical, and ethical levels, there is no certainty that
someone's silence necessarily implies consent. If I were suddenly taken ill,
and in hospital, or if my system happened to crash and I had never received
the request, then my silence is not my consent. Furthermore, if I were
an unassertive person, as many women are, then I may be simply be to shy to
say no, unless I am specifically asked what I think and want.
This issue is
acknowledged in research institutions, which is why they develop ethical
guidelines that researchers are expected to adhere to, such as the
requirement for informed consent. What I don't know is
whether these guidelines should also be deemed to apply to the quoting of
statements made here on internet. I was curious about the status of comments
made here, since it could be argued that posting to a list, albeit a
feminist one, is already putting our comments on the public record, so to
speak, and therefore quotable without express permission.
Miriam
>
>
> On Thu, 23 Feb 1995, Miriam Solomon wrote:
> >
> > I am a little concerned here about the ethics of this approach. I, for one,
> > would like to be specifically asked permission to be quoted, and not quoted,
> > *UNLESS* I give that permission. The way this request has been framed, it
> > seems to assume that silence means consent. Is this not an old problem that
> > women have struggled against for centuries? Indeed does it not answer your
> > second question, below, of the inextricable links, in all fora, even
> > feminist ones, between the personal and the political?
--
Miriam Solomon | "There is knowing with the teeth
Science and Technology Studies | as well as knowing with the tongue
University of Wollongong | and knowing with the fingertips
Wollongong | as well as knowing with words and
NSW 2522 | with all the fine flickering
Australia | hungers of the brain."
Marge Piercy
Fax: +61-42-213452
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
