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From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Dr. Emmanuel Wu)
Newsgroups: net.religion,net.politics
Subject: Re: Don Black, Nazis, and the amazing disappearing Holocaust
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Date: Sun, 31-Mar-85 17:32:06 EST
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Posted: Sun Mar 31 17:32:06 1985
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> I apologize if Rich was offended by my article.  As far as I know,
> good satire and good taste are incompatible; and Rich seemed to be
> using an interpretive principle of "If in doubt, assume it's
> anti-Semitic."  It is self-defeating for Jews to flame gentiles who
> speak out against the neo-Nazi creeps.   [RICHARD CARNES]

Apology accepted.  AS to my my "interpretive principle", let me
say this:  It may have seemed to you that your article was satirical.
A good look at it showed little difference in content or tone from
the article that preceded it, or from Black's original diatribes.
The point is:  though it may be obvious from the very ridiculousness
of what you said that it was (to you) satirical, Black's articles
(and the words of other neo-fascists) contain exactly the same
words, and are NOT satirical, but rather very serious in intent.  If
you might say "But a reasoned person would realize it's ridiculous
satire", think again.  Reasoned people believe "big lie" techniques and
other fascist propaganda techniques not less much than the rest of the
population.  The reason they use those manipulative techniques is
because they work (look at the world of modern advertising!).  Your
article was, ridiculous in notion and may have been construed as satire,
but it was little different from those that preceded it (Spence's and Black's).
As such, how would YOU be able to tell the difference.  Satire *IS* a
great literary tool, but satire backfires, because there are some people
who don't realize that it was satirical.  (In fifteen or twenty years,
people may believe that Spinal Tap was one of the great rock groups of
the 80s, not knowing that the movie about them was a satire...)
----------
"Wait a minute.  '*WE*' decided???   *MY* best interests????"
					Rich Rosen    ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr
-- 
"Discipline is never an end in itself, only a means to an end."
						Rich Rosen   pyuxd!rlr