Frabjous Times


Do Not Call List analogy

I laughed aloud when I read this recently in Network World magazine:
Reports in the press say that the telemarketing industry fears that the inability to get you out of the shower or up from dinner will devastate its business and will cause lots of people to lose their jobs. I have sympathy for the people who will be looking for new jobs, but the complaint rings a bit hollow. It is like someone hiring a bunch of people to urinate on the front doors of strangers and then threatening layoffs when the homeowners get permission to put up "do not urinate" signs. They also would complain that my being able to put up a "do not urinate" sign is a violation of their rights — I don't think so.
— Scott Bradner, The usefulness of 'do not' signs, 7 July 2003
Originally published: 2003/09/27 18:16:54