Post news and information from your neighborhood: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________ I agree with Mary. Humor and satire should not be judged by those who wrote it. In many cases these pieces tend to come from and perpetuate stereotypes. However, I will disagree with Mary on her take that those who are offended should judge whether it is offensive. If we took this philosophy to its ultimate conclusion, then anything said about a class of people would be offensive to someone. Unfortunately, we as humans do not easily view something in a void. We all see it in some context, usually from our experiences. We, as a society, have learned that its okay to object to the use or terms and jokes that offend us. It is my opinion that in many cases we have learned that this or that "should" be offensive, therefore we say it is offensive. For instance a Hot Dago can be found in many Italian restaurants in this area. There are some that see any reference to a "Dago" as a slur. Does the fact that the term offends one person mean it shouldn't' be used? Yet a few years ago an easterner made a complaint to the City human rights office when he visited such a restaurant and saw a Hot Dago on its menu. What we really need is an awareness of the things we say or write and how it may be seen to others. We do this in our work life as we attempt to negotiate the politics of doing our job. We just haven't learned to do this in all aspects of our life. We also need to be a bit more tolerant of other's views and comments. Mike Fratto Payne Phalen
>>> "Mary Baker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 02/03/2004 12:39:51 PM >>> Post news and information from your neighborhood: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________ Satire doesn't bother me even though I occasionally don't recognize it for what it is. Satire is a useful tool for illustrating the illogic in a situation when logical means don't cut it. Kind of like making a joke at the start of a public speech loosens up the audience a lot more than any number of other gentler words. However, I agree in general that offensive material should be judged by those offended, not those who wrote it. Mary Baker East Side _________________________________________________________________ Get a FREE online virus check for your PC here, from McAfee. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ _____________________________________________ For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ _____________________________________________ For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract
