Re: facism

[William LeFebvre <phil@rice.edu>]

>From "The Wic"
> Yea, that's it - let's start forceably removing people from the list
> because you don't like them...sounds like the facists are back in full
> swing.  Soon you'll be throwing off someone cause they don't have a cute
> and withardly closing comment...

Not I.  Because I don't have one! :-)

> If I had a choice between facists and the jerk from rice, I'll take the
> facists.  At least they admit they're gonna control you, instead of
> other people who will always claim to be liberal quiche buckets...

Okay.  So maybe my remark was a little too extreme.  My apologies.
I'll change it: "I would rather see Wicinski disappear from the list
than Sue".  Is that innocuous enough?  Does that ease your offended
sensibilities?

You must realize that this is my own personal opinion.  I don't expect
to see it happen (The Wic is having too much fun abusing people both on
and off the net).  In fact, if I *was* moderator of this list, my sense
of the awesome responsibility would very likely overcome my personal
desires in such matters.  Everyone has a right to express their own
opinion.

But "The Wic" needs to remember something:  his untimely echo of
others' opinion (and his implicit condoning of that opinion) angered
another reader to the extent that she wished to be removed from the
list, despite the fact that she usually enjoyed other messages from
this list.  My *expression of opinion* (which is all that it was---
even if it was worded poorly), only led someone to name calling.

I do not consider myself a facist or a liberal quiche bucket.  I would
hope that others do not.  I just don't always do a good job of putting
my feelings (especially the negative ones) into words.  My first
impression of Wicinski was formed from a series of messages he posted
that were far from complimentary and included quite a bit of casual
name-calling and abuse.  You know, things like "Janet Jackson is
dancing and humping Time all the way to number 1 again" and "Hoffmann's
the trendy dink".  Unfortunately, most of those messages have expired
from our machine.  I just went back and read more recent messages he
has submitted.  I feel that maybe my first impression of him was too
harsh.  Not everything that he has sent in has been useless drivvel.

(Insert tongue in cheek:)
Oh well.  Live and let live.  My opinion---your opinion.  Who cares?
So what if we get the rest of the world mad at us along the way?  Sure.
Get people pissed off at you.  It's their own fault if they can't take
a little abuse, right?  "Can't stand the heat, get out of the mailing
list", right?  They should let it roll off their shoulders, right?  Not
our fault if they can't, right?  Well, since we all understand how each
of us should react to casual abuse, The Wic won't mind if I call him an
insensitive bastard, will he?
(Remove tongue from cheek.)

My apologies to other love-hounders.  This isn't what this list is for.
If anyone cares to discuss this particular topic with me further
(including Wicinski), they'll have to send me e-mail.  I won't bother
the net with it again.

			William LeFebvre
			Department of Computer Science
			Rice University
			<phil@Rice.edu>

P.S.:  I have a friend who works third shift as a guard in a county
       jail.  He loves it!