Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!gatech!ncar!boulder!sunybcs!rutgers!att!chinet!mcdchg!ditka!bucket!whizz!bbh
From: bbh@whizz.uucp (Bud Hovell)
Newsgroups: news.misc
Subject: Re: The Continuing Crisis (was Sue the Bastard)
Summary: ...exactly...
Message-ID: <592@whizz.uucp>
Date: 20 Dec 88 18:46:57 GMT
References: <20539@mirror.UUCP> <1991@stiatl.UUCP> <4969@bsu-cs.UUCP> <2734@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu>
Organization: Overture Systems Corp - Lake Oswego, Oregon
Lines: 56

In article <2734@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu>, jwm@aplvax.jhuapl.edu (Jim Meritt) writes:

> In article <567@whizz.uucp> bbh@whizz.uucp (Bud Hovell) writes:
> }Is Don Rickles a "racist"? Well, is he?

> How about 'cause it's his job, and designated as "entertainment", and is
> understood as not personal attack?  He is fairly polite when not on stage,
> and issues appologies to whoever says they are offended.

Fine - should we call for a vote and determine whether the 'job' of the 
rec.humor group moderator is to select jokes for publishment on usenet? 

Like I said, who issues the license? 

I think, too, that there is a body of people well-marked in this society who
have a strong personal need for being "offended". What distuinguishes them is
not the particularly viewpoint they maintain, but rather the militancy with
which they uphold it - and which they fully expect every other "right-thinking"
person to militantly uphold also. Include among these the wacky right, the
wacky left, and vehement {anti-smokers | women's-libbers | UFOers | safety-
nazies | et cetera ad infinitum ad nauseum}. Interestingly, they often tend
to be very fond of "statistics" of one sort or another to "prove" to the
rest of us that we don't really understand the big problem they have been
wise enough to perceive. Listen carefully, and you will find them (selectively)
quoting numbers to "prove" how wronged they are.

I tell you, the minute you hear someone start spouting statistics to support 
his/her particular social agenda, head for the door! Mark Twain was right in
saying that there were three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
I used to believe this was just a cute piece of wit by ol' Mark. Now, I think
he had a pretty solid point.

And, man, you talk about RIGHTEOUS! When these folks go into their act, then 
no holds are barred, no statement is too extreme, no insult too grave. You get
in their way, and they are going to walk right up your back, take you to court,
and in every other way display their absolute contempt for any view or behavior
which questions the rightness of theirs. And the newspapers, in particular, just
love it. Along with the lawyers.

People who tilt windmills are fairly amusing. People who *build* windmills so
they can have something to publicly tilt are boors.

> Personally, he irritates the hell out of me, but nobody is forcing me to
> listen, so I don't.

Me, too. But I don't have any problem with the fact that some people find him
amusing, and not necessarily because they are particularly "racist".
 
                                                      OVERTURE SYSTEMS CORP. 
                       Bud Hovell                     Operations Specialists
                                                      Lake Oswego, Oregon
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                   "Follow your bliss" - Joseph Campbell