[Publib] Re: Whoopi is sitting at an OPAC in Bartonville, IL

[Mark Furukawa]

With apologies to Jim McLean, who merely offered what he thought was a
light-hearted look at a really small issue - the overblown media circus
highlighting the drunken idiocy of one man, one night. Instead, he's ignited
a wrath of the small-minded self-righteous.

I am reading the short story "Accident" by James White in which the two main
characters are concerned that war is coming because everyone works so hard
to be polite that no one knows what any one else really thinks and feels.
Only specially trained, sensitized policemen/diplomats are allowed to
interact ever-so-slightly more. Mustn't bump someone of another race because
the resultant name-slanging might escalate to a fight, which might escalate
to intergalactic war. We certainly have plenty of evidence that this is
true, but no evidence that refraining from name-slanging will also lead to
war. I wonder if we'll ever find out?

I have, my entire life, heard snide comments about "made in Japan" and Japs,
including by those way too young to know the meaning of either - until the
speaker notices my "white" face turning a bit paler and my surname
registers. And sometimes that just meant the comments became more pointed,
and sometimes that meant 'war'.

Realizing that I have (a very few) private faults of my own, I try not to be
too judgmental when another's private faults become public. Personally, I
can't abide those ______ (fill in the blank with whomever you may imagine -
I'm trying to quit it). Those who choose to retain their prejudices are to
be pitied, rather than scorned and vilified (or demonized). Ignorance,
stubbornness, custom, habit - It takes effort and empathy to educate; It
only takes more ignorance, and little effort, to instead fan the flames by
self-righteously claiming the higher ground. Too bad that 'higher ground' is
still in the sewer, the name calling is, while (slightly) more refined just
as unappetizing.

So, lets continue to label - Jap, anti-Semite, gay, godless, liberal,
conservative, right-wing, fundamentalist, smoker, non-smoker.... Gee, wasn't
there something in Library school about 'labeling'? Oh, but that only
applies to books. If we label books we might create a problem, if we label
people, the problem will go away. And, if we can find a cripple (drunk
actor) to peck at, we can pretend the problem is just him - peck him to
death - problem solved. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mark Furukawa
http://ballz.ababa.net/markfurukawa/index.shtml
           May I deal with honor,
           May I act with courage,
           May I achieve humility.
           from "Straight"
                       by Dick Francis
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