Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site spanky.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!floyd!whuxlb!pyuxll!eisx!npoiv!npois!hogpc!houxm!hocda!spanky!ka From: ka@spanky.UUCP Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: Boy, am I catching it..... Message-ID: <416@spanky.UUCP> Date: Wed, 13-Jul-83 18:58:11 EDT Article-I.D.: spanky.416 Posted: Wed Jul 13 18:58:11 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 14-Jul-83 21:40:32 EDT References: <490@ihuxi.UUCP> Organization: Bell Labs, Holmdel, N. J. Lines: 36 Why all the fuss about the use of the word "Faggots"? I thought this was net.flame? If I want to use this word I'll use it. People are really getting upset at my using this word when the [gist] of my article went completely over there heads... Why is it that only a couple people bothered to ask "Who the heck are the Vashchenko's"? First, if you are unhappy with the reception given your article, maybe you didn't really want to use the word after all. The fact that there was one person out there (spaf@gatech) who didn't dismiss your article out of hand upon seeing the word "faggot" suggests you were exception- ally lucky. But to respond to your question: No, I do not agree that the release of the Vashchenko's is more important than Homosexual Pride Week. Just what is so important about the decision of the Soviet Union to allow *one* family to emigrate? There are *thousands* of people who want to emigrate from the Soviet Union. The important story is that the Soviet Union has reduced emigration from the Soviet Union to a trickle, appar- ently in response to Reagan's Cold War retoric. The press seems to be in love with "human interest" stories. The current fervor over this girl (I don't know her name and don't care) who wrote Andropov a letter about the nuclear arms race is sickenning. Some bureau- crat writes a reply to this girl, the Soviet Union shells out a few thous- sand dollars (at most) to pay for her visit to the Soviet Union, and in return the Soviet Union gets oodles of free publicity. Why should the press cover the story? The story has no real significance except to show that Andropov has an understanding of the deficeincies of the American press, a point that members of the press do not seem particularly quick to point out. Kenneth Almquist