From: hubert mania (humania@t-online.de)
Date: Mon Mar 31 2003 - 23:00:01 MST
Lee Daniel Crocker said:
> So let me get this straight--you want people to speak freely, but
> if that speech happens to be an honest and polite request for restraint,
> then it's a despicable attempt at control? Right, got it.
When Greg posted his request of calming down the war debate I already had a
contribution written with the goal of establishing a news service for
American patriots with informnation they do not get on CNN or FOX.
My strategy was to completetly withdraw from the war debate and to "publish"
this news service as long as the war lasts. To me my writings sounded good
natured and humorous, but I still knew that irony and satire might inflame
war supporters in this delicate debate. So I restrained from posting it. But
I get this uneasy feeling that Greg's request is establishing the scissors
of self censorship in my brain.
Talking and writing about visceral - here I mean anatomic truths - reactions
to the US war lords appears to be a violation of good taste to some people
who cold-bloodedly accept suffering and death on both sides. To me it is
clearly this behaviour, this indignation about dirty words that shows the
whole perversion. Puking - dirty, dirty! - is suddenly labeled as bad taste
and the lowest level of communication. Maybe it is really a cultural gap
between the US and Europe, but I grew up with literature and art that
deliberately and elaborately gets to visceral - this time of course
physically *and* metaphorically - descriptions that offer blatant images.
Okay, all I ask for, Greg, is: please do not establish the scissors of self
censorship in our brains. I will gladly label my postings as contributions
that will not attack *members of this list* because of their pro war
feeling but mails that might contain rude and dirty words in the eyes and
ears of those who are pro war. All people have to do is put my name
in their kill files or delete my postings.
Hubert
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