There Is No Cabal
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - There Is No Cabal
OR:
There Is No Cabal on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

''There Is No Cabal'' (abbreviated TINC) is a catchphrase and
running joke A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are not ...
found on
Usenet Usenet (), a portmanteau of User's Network, is a worldwide distributed discussion system available on computers. It was developed from the general-purpose UUCP, Unix-to-Unix Copy (UUCP) dial-up network architecture. Tom Truscott and Jim Elli ...
. The journalist Wendy M. Grossman writes that its appearance on the ''alt.usenet.cabal''
FAQ A frequently asked questions (FAQ) list is often used in articles, websites, email lists, and online forums where common questions tend to recur, for example through posts or queries by new users related to common knowledge gaps. The purpose of a ...
reflects
conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...
accusations as old as the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
itself. The
anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...
Gabriella Coleman Enid Gabriella Coleman (usually known as Gabriella Coleman or Biella; born 1973) is an anthropologist, academic and author whose work focuses on politics, cultures of hacking and online activism, and has covered distinct hacker communities, s ...
writes that the joke reveals "discomfort over the potential for corruption by meritocratic leaders".


History

The phrase ''There Is No Cabal'' was developed to deny the existence of the
backbone cabal The backbone cabal was an informal organization of large-site news server administrators of the worldwide distributed newsgroup-based discussion system Usenet. It existed from about 1983 until around 1988. The cabal was created in an effort to ...
, which members of the cabal denied. The cabal consisted of operators of major
news server A news server is a collection of software used to handle Usenet articles. It may also refer to a computer itself which is primarily or solely used for handling Usenet. Access to Usenet is only available through news server providers. Articles an ...
newsgroups, allowing them to wield greater control over Usenet.


See also

*
Backbone cabal The backbone cabal was an informal organization of large-site news server administrators of the worldwide distributed newsgroup-based discussion system Usenet. It existed from about 1983 until around 1988. The cabal was created in an effort to ...
*
Cabal A cabal is a group of people who are united in some close design, usually to promote their private views or interests in an ideology, a state (polity), state, or another community, often by Wiktionary:intrigue, intrigue and usually without the kn ...
*
Internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...
* Lumber Cartel


References


External links


alt.conspiracy.usenet-cabal FAQ on the Cabal and TINC
Usenet Internet memes Conspiracy theories Running gags 2001 quotations {{internet-stub fr:Il n'y a pas de cabale