Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2004 12:33:15 -0600 From: Juli Mallett <jmallett@FreeBSD.org> To: crap@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Personal patches Message-ID: <20040105183315.GA99773@FreeBSD.org> In-Reply-To: <20040105175904.GA32112@online.fr> References: <200401051502.i05F2qqG007611@dungeon.home> <20040105175904.GA32112@online.fr>
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> Personally I think the offensive fortune file can be removed, or made
> into a port. We have quite enough sources for offensive humour these
> days, thank you, besides a lot of it seems quite innocuous to me and
> can be merged back into the regular file (or else many the regular
> fortunes seem potentially offensive). All humour is potentially
> offensive to someone somewhere of course, but we can draw the line at
> stupid bigoted non-humour like Rush Limbaugh.
>
In the spirit of "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend
to the death your right to say it," I have to suggest that you just stop
reading the offensive fortunes. The Rush stuff isn't funny, in and of
itself. In fact, it's brash neo-conservative fluff rhetoric, with a
little lack of modern social graces, as they were, becuase what's what
Rush's audience is, and I have absolutely no problem with that. I might
not like it (and I don't) but he's speaking to an audience who wants to
hear what he says, pretty much 90% of the time.
As Doug Barton (it was he who added these, yes?) said, there's quite a
bit of "liberal," I think is the word, stuff there as it is. So I'd
suggest that the people who are strongly against Rush's point of view
who read the offensive fortunes and haven't yet grasped dealing with
someone *else's* viewpoints in a constructive manner take a second and
try to find the humor, or at least comfort, in this:
%%%
Rush Limbaugh's 35 Undeniable Truths of Life:
(20) There is a God.
-- "The Limbaugh Letter," Copyright 1992, EFM Publishing, Inc.
%%%
I can find no less than 3 things that amuse me with that, and only one
thing that offends me. All else is just my opinion, my personal
feelings, etc. Actually being offended takes a lot. There are some of
Rush's statements which do offend me in a measurable way, but that's not
the point. The point is, if you're one of the people who takes comfort
in seeing these things (I can only imagine that they're *not* actually
intended to be funny, even if they *are* light-hearted in Rush's way
[I've listened to him a lot over time, and I think I at least vaguely
understand the slant of his wit, as it were],) then you're probably
happy to see them come on your screen now and then, amidst the likes of
the below* (since you clearly have offensive fortunes shown to you on
login,) and if you're not a big fan, take comfort in the converse. And
if you disagree with everyone, then I hope you're big enough on dischord
to get a big chuckle out of all of this, lest your life be riddled with
the unhappiness that comes from not being a very fun person.
%%%
A conservative is a man who believes that nothing should be done for
the first time.
-- Alfred E. Wiggam
%%%
And remember, per fortune, that you are always free to just ignore
the drivel in fortune, or this drivel, this email. Maybe, just maybe,
you shouldn't be playing with the offensive fortunes.
%%%
I'll defend to the death your right to say that, but I never said I'd
listen to it!
-- Tom Galloway with apologies to Voltaire
%%%
Thanx,
juli.
* - Like I know what the hell in fortune ranks up there with the 35
Limbaugh things. I didn't just want to pick any one social issue
(namely homosexuality, which fortune is quite fond of) so I just
tried a bunch of fortune -am and gave it my best. If you can do
better, feel free. If you can think of some similar that should
be there alongside them, heh, go for it!
PS: Since moving to Hawai`i, I've grown even fonder of this whole
"social melting pot" thing, so I'm sure I sound like a total
crackpot to both sides, just remember that a meeting of peoples
who disagree, who are different, who ... is pretty much undeniably
one of the things that does make America great. Or at least, that's
what I was taught.
--
juli mallett. email: jmallett@freebsd.org; efnet: juli; aim: bsdflata;
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