Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2012 03:34:29 -0600 From: "Conrad J. Sabatier" <conrads@cox.net> To: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.net> Cc: chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Superstitious users and the FreeBSD logo Message-ID: <20120105033429.17c1164c@cox.net> In-Reply-To: <201111300158.SAA09037@lariat.net> References: <201111300158.SAA09037@lariat.net>
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On Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:57:57 -0700 Brett Glass <brett@lariat.net> wrote: > Everyone: > > I just got a call from the owner of a hotel for which we provide > hotspot service. She says that a guest spotted the "Powered by > FreeBSD" logo at the bottom of the login page, and was offended; > the guest was convinced that either we or the hotel management > "worshipped the Devil" and refused to stay at the hotel unless the > logo was removed. The owner could make no headway by explaining > that the besneakered mascot was a cartoon character and was a > daemon, not the Devil. And she feared upsetting the guest even more > if she said that large portions of the same software are inside > every Mac and iPad. The hotel stands to lose more than $1000 if the > guest, who had originally planned to stay for a long period, moves > out. > > One of our tech support people also got a call directly from the > hotel guest, who claimed that having the logo on the page > constituted "abuse." The guest also claimed to be "losing money" > because she wouldn't use the hotspot if there was a "devil" on the > splash page. He didn't even realize what she was talking about at > first.... He couldn't imagine why on Earth this person was calling > him and going on about devils. > > Attempts at misguided religious censorship notwithstanding, I don't > want to see one of my ISP's customers lose business. And I'd like > to keep a FreeBSD logo on our hotspot page. Is there artwork that > doesn't include horned creatures that might offend the ignorant or > superstitious? > > --Brett Glass Oh...my...God (if you'll pardon my use of that expression). :-) Knee-jerk robotic reactionaries such as the individual in question most definitely give me pause. Seems like every time I start to feel even the slightest twinge of optimism that perhaps the human race actually may be progressing as a species towards a more enlightened future, one of these throwbacks pops up to rudely snap me back to reality. <sigh> That this person felt no shame or embarrassment at lodging such an absurdly ridiculous complaint is clear evidence of the abysmal depths of mindless, unreasoning stupidity to which people can be degenerated by religion. Of course, a predisposition to exactly such a mindset is required in order to be sucked into believing such hogwash in the first place. As for your final question: I must confess to taking a certain pleasure at the thought of offending "the ignorant or superstitious". Such is the price of being ignorant or superstitious, as well it should be. I certainly don't envy you your position of having to try to appease these yahoos. -- Conrad J. Sabatier conrads@cox.net
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