No Subject

[Neil Calton <nbc@vd.rl.ac.uk>]

>From: Dave Hsu <hsu@eneevax.umd.edu>
>>From: nbc        ...Surely one has to draw the line somewhere -
>>though where that line is is, I admit, difficult to define.

> the idealized American
>way to deal with the problem is to debate the issues and hopefully
>enlighten onlookers, instead of silencing the speaker, and action which
>usually leaves listeners as confused as ever, while lending credence or
>at least legitimacy, to the speaker's cause.  I won't suggest that
>we've always done such a good job putting the idea to practice, but
>that's what they tell us our Constitution was designed to do.  Is that
>brand of philosophical Darwinism so bad, Neil?

In an ideal world perhaps not. It's ironic that you should mention
Darwinism - survival of the fittest and all that. My fear is that in
the real world it is the weak and the innocent who get shouted down
or denied their constitutional rights. No amount of debate with the
Nazis stopped WW2 or saved 6 million Jews. Who listens to the views
of the black population in South Africa? In terms of this network
a libelled person may not have the same ability to respond as his/her
attacker e.g. pressure of work, limited access to the network, a lousy
mailer or whatever.

> Now, could we get back to discussing things Kate-ian?

By all means. I apologise for raising issues that should perhaps belong
in other newsgroups - but I held back for sometime while a number of
people let fly ( and at what seemed to be just rumours anyway).


>From: munnari!daemon@seismo.CSS.GOV (The Devil)
                                         *****
Or perhaps just his advocate?

>Please read Andrew's article again. And try to understand what he writes.
>The key words to look for are: write, verbal communication.

Perhaps you could try thinking about cause and effect. Ever heard of
propaganda? Do you not think that people like the KKK, NF et cetera
produce their verbal and written evil diatribes in order to influence
people to carry out physical actions? Some skinhead (in GB) reads an
NF pamphlet which tells him that the Asians (they would use a rather
more uncouth phrase) are 'stealing' the jobs that should go to whites
and that they should be sent 'home' (most were born here anyway) and 
that they are second class citizens. Then some NF guy in the pub
suggests they go 'paki-bashing' and so on. Why do you think the Nazis
initiated such vehment propaganda against the Jews? Surely even you
must know the result of that.

Even if the verbal and written insults do not incite others to associate
themselves with a particular viewpoint there comes a time when being
called a coon, nigger, paki, yid, poof et cetera just destroy a person.
It is not always true that 'sticks and stones can hurt my bones but
words will never hurt me'.