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[Henry M]

I had hoped that I was dreaming, or schizophrenic, but

On 25 Feb 97 at 2:08, John Rigney wrote, and because it was 
"relevant to the list." or "if we don't say anything, it'll go 
away," or, ford forgive, out of complacent, tacit agreement, the good
germans of p-list gave no response to:

> Following is a content analysis of the roughly seventeen responses
> to Gary Elshaw's posting of the Lord's Prayer in Ebonics:
> 
> DISCLOSURE
> 
> I am white, college-educated.  I don't think the Simpsons or
> Seinfeld are funny.  I didn't laugh at the Ebonics version of the
> Lord's Prayer, but I have laughed heartily at other Ebonics
> translations on the Web. The Ebonics translation of The Rime of the
> Ancient Mariner is almost as much fun to read as Coleridge's
> version.  I have read Pynchon-l longer than any of those mentioned
> below have posted in it.  This is my first post.
> 
> FINDING #1: NARCISSISTS ALL OF US
> 
> The postings to Pynchon-l have less to do with Pynchon (or Ebonics)
> than they do with the narcissism of the posters.  I know that you
> all know this, but you don't often admit it.  
> 
> 
> FINDING #2: ELITISM REARS ITS UGLY, UGLY HEAD
> 
> The cliques of frequent posters to specific lists are among the most
> elitist (not elite) sociological groups in the country.  For proof
> you need go no further than John Mascaro's post of February 19 in
> which he referred to Gary as the "lurker Gary E."  Now THAT, boys
> and girls, was offensive.
> 
> 
> OBSERVATION: "BLACK ENGLISH" and "EBONICS" ARE NOT SYNONYMOUS
> 
> There are patterns in Black English that scream ignorance just as
> loudly as other patterns do in "Redneck English."  It is the
> suggestion of ignorance found in Black English, and not the
> curiosity of different language patterns found in Ebonics, that
> handicaps those who speak Black English. What is offered as an
> Ebonics translation of the Lord's Prayer is actually a Black English
> translation.
> 
> 
> OBSERVATION: NOT ALL JOKES ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE ARE RACIST
> 
> The fact that a joke is made at the expense of black people does not
> make it ipso facto racist.  Jokes made at the expense of black
> people based on characteristics over which they have control are
> fair game -- jokes based on characteristics over which they have no
> control are not. Consequently, jokes about the shape of a black
> person's nose would be offensive; jokes about a black person's taste
> in music would not be offensive.   
> 
> 
> FINDING #3: PEOPLE WHO CHERISH TRADITIONAL PRAYERS HAVE MORE CAUSE
> THAN BLACK PEOPLE TO TAKE OFFENSE
> 
> I could not find one word suggesting that the translation of The
> Lord's Prayer into Ebonics might have been offensive to those who
> were fond of that prayer in its original form.  If Bonnie Kyburz had
> been truly sensitive to the opportunity for the original posting to
> create offense, she should have worried about these people.
> 
> Recommendation: If any of the posters critical of the joke is black,
> that/those poster(s) need to publicly apologize to religious people
> for suggesting that the parody was more offensive to black people
> than to religious people. 
> 
> 
> FINDING #4: BONNIE KYBURZ -- MOTORMOUTH
> 
> Bonnie needs to hear a real hate speech.  My guess is that she knows
> that jokes are not hate speeches and was just shooting off her
> mouth.  However, her second post was more offensive than her first.
> In the second post, she offered an apology to "anyone offended by
> (her) comments."  This was clearly a sop thrown to her fellow
> frequent-posters, who had registered disagreement with her earlier
> tirade.  She never did apologize to Gary Elshaw directly, despite
> having called him a public racist.  At the end of her second post,
> she guessed that she should just keep it personal.  Bonnie, please
> do.
> 
> Recommendation: Burn a cross on this woman's lawn, and then tell her
> it was just a joke.
> 
> 
> FINDING #5: JOHN MASCARO -- SIMPLISTIC YAHOO
> 
> John Mascaro -- what a piece of work!  John admitted having
> 'shotgunned' Gary E. He offers the same kind of apology that Bonnie
> did -- "if I seemed too harsh."  John knew he was too harsh on Gary
> Elshaw, but immediately after this little "apology," he trashed Gary
> even more viciously.  Clearly his apology was not directed to Gary.
> It was directed to Bonnie and Henry and the others in his clique who
> may have felt that he was "a little too harsh."  And just in case a
> reader may have misunderstood, and assumed that he was apologizing
> to Gary, he spells it out -- "I imagined (Gary) on the basis of his
> text.  I don't think my imagination was unjustified, given what i
> took as the evidence."
> 
> Recommendation: Force-feed this guy a tube of Preparation H every
> day for the rest of his life.
> 
> 
> FINDING #6: HENRY M -- ONE BRICK SHY OF A LOAD
> 
> Henry M.  Dear Lord, what is there to say about Henry M?  Let's just
> say that if John Mascaro wants to put modifiers in front of people's
> names, he might try "dim-witted Henry M."  Henry M needs to
> apologize to blacks for the spade is a spade "joke"; apologize to
> academics for the ya bunch of fruits "joke"; and apologize to all
> reasonable people for insisting that "what makes the joke itself
> racist is that it it's (sic) "humor" is one-dimensional at most." 
> Hello?   Your lights are on, Henry dear, but there's NOBODY home.   
>  
> 
> Recommendation: Double this man's dose.
> 
> 
> FINDING #7: DAVID CASSERES -- DUH...
> 
> David Casseres -- certainly not a full-bore asshole like
> you-know-who, but David, lighten up.  You don't have to tell us that
> racism is not funny.  We know that, and we know a lot of other
> things that are not funny -- starting with Henry M.  You want not
> funny, Henry's got lots...  
> 
> Recommendation:  Make David read Dinesh d'Souza's The End of Racism.
>  Test him on it so he can't cheat.  
> 
> 
> FINDING #8: DEEDLE -- TRULY A CLASS ACT
> 
> Deedle -- a class act.  He let everyone know how he felt in a much
> more dignified way than I have, for sure...
> 
> Recommendation:  Read when this guy writes.
> 
> 
> 
> AFTERNOTE:  If, by some utterly unjustifiable misinterpretation of
> my comments, anyone were to take offense at any of my comments, I
> apologize if any of my remarks could be construed to suggest that
> JOHN MASCARO is lower than fucking POND SCUM because clearly that
> would be up to the reader to determine, wouldn't it, and just
> because HENRY M's mother didn't know exactly which of the Green Bay
> Packers was his father is no reason to hold that against this
> BOTTOM-FEEDER FROM HELL, and I guess I hope that no one took offense
> at any of my observations about that DUMPSTER-DIVER BONNIE KYBURZ.
> 
What would they have done in Schindler's place. Something academic, I 
suppose.

AsB4

Keep cool, but care. -- TRP
Moderation in moderation. -- Husky Mariner