Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!silver!stowe
From: stowe@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (stowe)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: "ATARI ELITE..."-- * PLEASE CHANGE SUBJECT!!!
Message-ID: <36333@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
Date: 19 Feb 90 18:53:56 GMT
References: <4323@cuphub.cup.edu>
Sender: root@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu
Reply-To: stowe@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (stowe)
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington
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[Dan and a lot of other people talk about Piracy/Software Thieves and
User Groups.  Dan complains about their user group being defamed because
it has the word Elite in the name.]

Dan,

Although I can sympathize with the "innocent until proven guilty" concept,
it's also a very difficult (read: impossible) task to redefine a term that
has been so closely associated with software theft for probably 10 years now.
There are many terms that people use as a cloak to cover up their real
meaning.  The word "elite" is one that software thieves use.  Unfortunately
for your user group, having that word in the name will probably forever
associate your group with software theft in the minds of people.  I don't
know when or how your group was named, but it was not the best choice for
that reason alone.  Perhaps the group once began as a theft group and has
since changed its ways, I don't know, but it's unlikely that as long as
it retains "Elite" in the name that people will not think of software theft.
Perhaps (and sadly) your group should consider a name change.

It's sad how often perfectly good words have been redefined into something
totally unrelated and often with negative connotations.

Holly

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stowe@silver.ucs.indiana.edu                        You're not strange.  I am.
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