erators do something about the food discussion. The question of this paper is why some members of the list should be so angry at diversions from the straight and narrow while other members of the community like them.
This same dynamic actually occurs with some frequency on the list (of which I have been a member for almost four years). About once a month to every six weeks the list will diverge from what one core group of the list believes to be its proper topic of discussion. These trajectories away from discussions of plot and character always begin in the same way: A member of the list asks a question prompted by something that he or she has read in a mystery (such as the meaning of a word or phrase). The list is conducted in English so all of its members have to be able to read and write English. However, the members came from a number of different countries and it is often the case that people who do not speak English as a first language do not understand references to slang or popular culture. It is also oft
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