Xref: utzoo rec.humor.d:1288 news.misc:2305
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!apple!epimass!jbuck
From: jbuck@epimass.EPI.COM (Joe Buck)
Newsgroups: rec.humor.d,news.misc
Subject: Re: Sue the bastard  (was Jonathan Richmond jeopardizes the Usenet)
Message-ID: <2708@epimass.EPI.COM>
Date: 7 Dec 88 00:52:41 GMT
References: <20539@mirror.UUCP> <1991@stiatl.UUCP> <4969@bsu-cs.UUCP> <680@fcs280s.ncifcrf.gov>
Reply-To: jbuck@epimass.EPI.COM (Joe Buck)
Organization: Entropic Processing, Inc., Cupertino, CA
Lines: 29

In article <4969@bsu-cs.UUCP> dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi) writes:
>>Richmond's campaign against ethnic jokes is doing much, much more to
>>harm the image of the Jew among non-Jews than rec.humor.funny could
>>ever have done.

In article <680@fcs280s.ncifcrf.gov> shore@ncifcrf.gov (Melinda Shore) writes:
>I agree that it was *completely* inappropriate for Jonathan Richmond to
>try and depose Brad Templeton and, failing that, go to the press.

>However, having said that, I would like to point out that the argument
>included above has been used time and time again against progressive
>reform movements (women, black, gay, ethnic) to try and coerce them
>into a) assimilating, or b) shutting up.  And personally, I find speaking
>out against oppressive behavior admirable, not objectionable.

I second what Melinda has to say.  Richmond's campaign is destructive
and harmful to the net.  But Rahul's comment, and other similar ones,
are extremely unfortunate.  It's not up to Jonathan Richmond or anyone
else to uphold the "image of the Jew", as if there is such a thing,
and to make remarks like this is only one step away from alleging that
Jews have an "image problem" because types like Richmond are common.
That is, it's right on the edge of coming off as a bigoted remark.


-- 
- Joe Buck	jbuck@epimass.epi.com, or uunet!epimass.epi.com!jbuck,
		or jbuck%epimass.epi.com@uunet.uu.net for old Arpa sites
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long
as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.  -- G. B. Shaw