From: utzoo!kcarroll
Newsgroups: net.space
Title: Re: The Dream Of Space Travel 
Article-I.D.: utzoo.2940
Posted: Sat Apr 30 16:45:33 1983
Received: Sat Apr 30 16:45:33 1983
References: inuxd.290 


Arlan, allow me to introduce myself: I'm somebody who's "dreamed the dream"
for as long as my short lifetime has allowed me, who reads science-fiction
to feed the dreams, and has become an aerospace engineer to help them
to come true. I have a question for you...
Which do you think is more important, that your country (I have to keep
reminding myself that I don't live in the U.S.!) is beginning to reach
into space, or that it is doing so ahead of the Russians?
Which do you think is more important, that Spain began the exploration
of the Americas, or that it started before the Dutch, and the Portugese,
and the English?
Do you make jokes about the feeble state of the Japanese space effort,
or the British or the French? Probably not very often; they wouldn't
have the same punch as a joke about the Soviets.
When you're talking about something that's much larger than your country,
you should try to let your viewpoint rise above the level of petty,
nationalistic squabbles. And, if you don't think that they're petty,
do you honestly think that in a thousand years, people will think
that the fact that an ancient country called Russia was once at war
with another ancient country called America, is more important than the
reality of their (presumed) space-based culture? 
(assuming, of course, that neither of those countries decides to
knock us back to the stone age in the meantime)

Of course, it's obvious why you made your joke. The Russians proclaim their
successes in space and hush up their failures, while the Americans
televise all of their launches live, regardless of the risk of failure and
disgrace, a la Vanguard, which only goes to show whose political system
is morally more enlightened, doesn't it? However, objecting to your joke
doesn't equate with denigrating all those who've dreamed the dream.
Have you stopped to think that there are thousands of Russian
engineers who've dreamed the same dream as you? Your joke insults them
more than it does their ideology, which after all was your real target.

There. I feel that as a gentle enough reproof, that I can do away with
the "flame on/off" formalism.

Kieran A. Carroll
...decvax!utzoo!kcarroll