[1488] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Re: What We May All Have Missed
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (John Belcher)
Wed Oct 8 11:32:42 2003
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003 08:17:10 -0000
Reply-To: jwb@space.mit.edu
From: John Belcher <jbelcher@CECI.MIT.EDU>
To: MIT-Talk@MIT.EDU
In-Reply-To: <ppwsmm4fnpn.fsf@no-knife.mit.edu>
Just a note to explain why my generation reacts so strongly
to this issue. I am not trying to convince you of anything,
I just want to give you some perspective.
In the fall of 1961, I was a freshman at Rice University in Houston Texas.
This was after the "Freedom Rides" in spring 1961, see
http://www.freedomridersfoundation.com/brief.history.html
That fall I took part in a major civil rights demonstration in Houston. The
Houston
PD had a lock-up wagon on the curb that they kept moving around to
intimidate
the demonstrators. We were not afraid of being arrested. We were afraid
of disappearing into the van and ending up in a bayou the next day.
If you think this was an unfounded fear, read the article at the url above.
It is hard for me to read the party invitation and not be viscerally
reminded of the racism that permeated texas society in 1961. I think it
would be hard for anyone who was an undergraduate in the early sixties not
to
have that reaction.
John Belcher
-----Original Message-----
From: Talk about MIT, for MIT, by MIT. [mailto:MIT-Talk@MIT.EDU]On
Behalf Of Ray Jones
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2003 2:49 AM
To: MIT-Talk@MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: What We May All Have Missed
Adam Champy <aschampy@MIT.EDU> writes:
> Some things are right and some are wrong - I know it sounds
> simplified, but it is that crystal clear.
Perhaps to you. I think that's an overly simplistic view. Life is
full of shades of grey. Even if it weren't, my right and wrong
doesn't match yours. I'm not going to let you define my moral code,
and I assume you won't let me know define yours. And neither of us
really wants the administrators involved in such decisions.
Joking about dearly held beliefs (about religion, morals, poor people,
race) is fine in my book, except in extreme situations (weddings and
funerals, mostly). You obviously think otherwise.
Even if it were bad to make jokes about poor people, it would be worse
to limit free expression of ideas at an academic institution. Even
incorrect or offensive ideas. Not that that's stopped it from
happening. If that's not crystal clear, then not much else is. It
should be tautological.
Ray Jones
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