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From: yudelson@aecom.UUCP (Larry Yudelson)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: May 1984 *Analog*  < Nuclear flames
Message-ID: <479@aecom.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 5-Apr-84 20:25:42 EST
Article-I.D.: aecom.479
Posted: Thu Apr  5 20:25:42 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 7-Apr-84 04:34:58 EST
References: <1212@ucf-cs.UUCP>
Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY
Lines: 57

> Date: Wed, 28-Mar-84 00:04:26 EST

> I hereby nominate the editorial staff of *Analog* magazine, and the two
> authors of the story "Valentina" (my copy is at home, otherwise I would
> name names; I *had* regarded both of them highly) for the uncoveted
>                 [1632 bytes deleted] OF THE YEAR AWARD
> in the category of uncalled-for `ethnic' slurring.

> Their crime, for those of you fortunate enough not to have read the
> article, is protraying all "hackers" as (1) self-centered, (2) anti-
> social, (3) criminal, (4) ignorant of hygiene, (5) having numerous
> personality defects, and undoubtably several other dubious traits I
> have been too incised to notice.

> It was, pure and simple, a gratuitous groin kick at "hackers."

> Finally, I have included "hackers" in quotes because neither the authors
> or editors seem to understand what a hacker is, even though they used the
> term quite liberally....

> Finally, I should mention that the [85 bytes deleted] lawyer was also
> portrayed in highly undesirable tones.  As in, he likes little girls,
> enjoys power trips, has no self-confidence behind a Machivelli exterior,

> so,  does anyone else feel the same way I do?  Does anyone have the
> phone number of *Analog*'s editor?  I don't feel like a hate letter, I
> want a real live "responible" person on the other end to shout at!

> bruce giles


	I forwarded this letter to Shelly Frier, the assistant editor
of Analog.  She pointed out that one of the authors in a computer programmer.
The other is a lawyer.

	I haven't  seen the May issue yet, so I can't comment on the story,
but I remember that Stan Schmidt, the editor, has written in the past about
readers assuming that since the villain in the story is Jewish or Italian
or a hacker, the authors and editors think that all Jews or Italians or
hackers are wicked people who are self-centered, criminal, anti-social
deviants who don't bathe regularly.

	Actually, from your logic, you would be even more offended if the
criminals were portrayed as responsible graduate students who had good
hygene.  That would imply that you were criminal--a far more difficult
accusation to disprove than (you are a criminal  && you have bad hygene).

	Actually, from my experience as editor of a (non-s.f.) magazine,
I would make all my villains readers who can't read straight and then
write in nasty letters.

						Larry Yudelson
"Beware the Frumiest Bandersnatch!"        philabs!aecom!yudelson

p.s. The views expressed are my own.  They are not (necessarily) the
views of Shelly Frier, Stan Schmidt, the secretaries in the Analog
office, Davis Publications, or even the AECOM computer center.