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Last year I read comments in an archive Exquisite Corpse suggesting
that reader questions had some hope of brief answers in the Cyberbag,
provided that the reader waited for many months. OK, no problem.
Unfortunately, the Cyberbag feature has vanished with no explanation.
Its absence from the Corpse Mississippi special was understandable,
but why did it not return in the most recent "new normal" issue?
Was Cyberbag deleted under secret pressure from Homeland Security,
because terrorists pretending to be literati might use it to signal
attacks? This conspiracy theory suggests that "our Corpse-reading
lives will never be the same again," and "we must accept
inconvenient new Cyberbag-free security."
On the other hand, perhaps HS' real concern is literati pretending
to be terrorists? I recall your NPR account of--was it wrapped
melons left on public steps in New Orleans? Surely that prank is
history. It reminds me of the SF airport sign warning that it is
illegal to tell hijacking or terrorist jokes while standing in line;
upon inquiry I was told that jokes are a form of false information.
Maybe Cyberbag just became too much to deal with, but it was a kind
of small claims court that delivered rough justice to correspondents.
The way it triaged the aspiring or misguided from the crazy was
unique in my reading.
Sean Foxfire
ED. NOTE: Laura Rosenthal's "Body Bag," the unequalled
precursor of the "Cyberbag" set a standard so high no
heir could be found. The "Cyberbag," written by Mark
Spitzer, was too aggressive and macho in the end, and it was decided
to suspend "bagging" until a hugely erudite gentle genius
showed up. One suitable candidate did appear briefly, but, alas,
was mistaken for an antelope and shot for meat. We await the appearance
of another and have posted the office against any hunting out of
season.
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