From Alex Reynolds Sent Fri, Nov 13th 1998, 15:31
From Alex Reynolds Sent Fri, Nov 13th 1998, 15:31
IDM Frequently Answered Questions Question #4225A, Section 31 Mr. Peter Becker asks, "Weren't MIMEs banned from idm?" Well, Peter, the history of allowing mimes and mime-ing on the IDM list is a long tale of shame and irritation. The appearance of mimes on the IDM list is strictly verboten. But then, there are very few informal social groups in the world where mimes are tolerated, let alone permitted display. It wasn't always this way; from its very inception, the IDM list was a haven of liberal thought, tolerating posts of various and questionable content and relevance. With the shift of list control back in the mid-90s, however, it was determined by Hyperreal's upper management that mimes were an irritating waste of time and disk space, and mime displays by list members were quickly outlawed. Punishment varied from ridicule to mail bombing campaigns to expulsion from the list. At the time, Le Societe Internationale De Mime-ing, a mime-rights organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, would not comment on the matter. Their lawyers, however -- fresh from financially successful lawsuits against various frisbee distributors in Indonesia -- were quite vocal and promised swift justice against the so-called "IDM cryptofascists." United Nations trial proceedings against the list were largely a quiet affair, until the conclusion, when the judicial panel ruled against LSIDM. Before leaving the courtroom, the mime-ing group's legal team then leered and made a series of hand gestures towards the panel and towards IDMs lawyers, gestures which involved extensions of various digits on the hands. It seems these mute displays did not endear the UN panel towards granting LSIDM a retrial. To this day, while mime-ing is strongly discouraged, every now and again you will find an individual stand up and MIME on the IDM list, trying to fight the system. Nonetheless, it will continue to remain IDM's zero-tolerance policy to crush mimes without mercy. We hope this answers your question. Kind Regards, Alex Reynolds Hyperreal Archivist, Sector A231/Z