other-bashing

[ckaratnytsky at nypl.org]

     Many thanks to Bill Burns, Terry Caesar and Eric Alan Weinstein for 
     their insightful comments.
     
     Like Bill, based on Bonnie's well-reasoned objections, I will admit to 
     being forced to rethink my initial laissez-faire response to the 
     Ebonics joke.  However, I still fail to see how this repeating this 
     joke or laughing at it rates even in the ballpark of promulgating 
     hate-crimes.  As you say, Bill, we need to be able to distinguish the 
     moment when a confrontation is *genuinely* necessary and will promote 
     a useful exchange of ideas, and when it isn't.  And I very much agree 
     that a stand must be taken in our ordinary lives.  I do.
     
     I've been on this list for about a year.  I can't recall ever reading 
     anything or catching vibes from anyone that made me think there was a 
     *genuinely* serious attitude problem happening, that *any* remark 
     deserved the kind of blasting that has come to be expected, feared 
     and, regrettably, all too common on this list.  We've all put our foot 
     in our mouths, we've all got racist or sexist or homophobic or 
     whatever tendencies to unlearn, but jesus h. christ, the Pynchon-list 
     is not exactly the cyber-convergence of the Aryan nation.  Let's get 
     some perspective here, folks.  Listen:  We may get testy with each 
     other from time to time, but this is not a hostile or insensitive 
     environment.  Let's be reasonable:  Shouldn't intent get factored into 
     our particular equation when lobbing p.c. diatribes?  
     
     Bonnie's last involvement in a war like this one began in a similar 
     fashion:  She took a remark out of context in her self-appointed 
     leap to defend the rights of the downtrodden.  To me, this gives 
     what would be in other circumstances a very important point the 
     effect of the Disgusting Classroom Monitor Drill.  I have come to 
     resent these contextless kamikaze p.c. attacks on innocent and/or 
     unsuspecting listees.  
     
     The end result of the current to-do has been *not* that light has 
     been brought to the ignorant, but that Bonnie has dropped from the 
     list because she's too busy to "really" participate.  I will be 
     unkind enough to note here that Bonnie's intermittent and 
     self-righteous dive bomb attacks have been the *only* participation 
     that has registered with yours truly of late.  Worst of all, she 
     seems to have driven off Gary, a fellow who had never posted before 
     and, I believe, MEANT NO HARM TO ANYONE.  I am furious about this.
     
     Gary please don't stop posting.
     
     Flame away, go ahead -- I'm sure I've written *something* that I'll later 
     regret.
     
     Pissed Chris