Re: CHAT: OFF: RANT: OFFENSIVE: TAN: CHAT: Re: Ebonic Christmas

Paul Bennett wrote:

> I am fed up to the back teeth of the modern Liberal media (I'm
> using the word Liberal (capital-{L}) in its commonly-understood
> american sense, as opposed to the commonly-understood american
> meaning of the word Conservative),
Further-off-topic mini-rant:

As a Liberal (in your sense) and an American, I deny that
"Liberal media" is anything but self-contradictory.  The
American media are owned by, and overwhelmingly express
the viewpoints of, the corporate power structure.

> Goshtarnit, people, GET A GRIP.
My grip on history, and on my sense of humor, is quite firm,
thank you.

> Ok, so the poem that this
> argument is about wasn't actually that funny to me, but I'll defend
> until death the right of *somebody* to find it funny.
By all means.  I am exercising my free-speech right of
public criticism; whoever publishes anything, exposes himself
to the criticism of any member of the public.  If I were a
Brit I'd probably be writing a letter to the _Times_.

> I mean, one look at the history of Political Correctness ought to tell
> you that it was a good thing while it was needed, but should have
> collapsed under its own weight before 1980, and is now leading to
> even greater levels of separation and prejudice than it was created
> to remove.
_Abusus non tollit usum._

> "All that is required for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing"
Allegedly by Edmund Burke, but in fact (alas) by Anon.

> "If printers were determin'd to print nothing until they were
> certain it would offend no-one, there'd be very little printed."
Someone here uses this as his .sig, I believe.  B. Franklin?

--

Schlingt dreifach einen Kreis vom dies! || John Cowan <jcowan@...>
Schliesst euer Aug vor heiliger Schau,  || http://www.reutershealth.com
Denn er genoss vom Honig-Tau,           || http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
Und trank die Milch vom Paradies.            -- Coleridge (tr. Politzer)