jj@rabbit.UUCP (12/13/83)
"I have a theory. T.C. Wheeler isn't a real person.
It's a program spewing forth endless arguments, none
of which respond to the criticisms of past refutations
of his (its?) arguments.
Will the real T.C. Wheeler please stand up?"
I have a better theory. When someone doesn't want to argue with
another, and they just want to sling mud (and hopefully disable
the other person's argument base in the process), they attack
that person, and argue that the person is:
1) Sub-human ("All conservatives are, by definition, sub-human")
2) a program (Hi, Andy!)
3) Mentally ill. (Alan???)
I further propose that articles that use such deliberately obnoxious,
dishonest, and emotionally loaded tactics are a disgrace to the
net, and that the writer of same should have the same tactics
applied to him/her.
For the record, it seems to me that T.C.Wheeler has quite nicely
answered most of the complaints brought forth in the arguments
against patriotism, and that the conflict mentioned in the above
quote arises from others unwillingness to accept any points of
view that endanger their own smug rationalizations of why
they should NEVER support their way of life.
I don't quite agree with T(om?) Wheeler about patriotism, I
occasionally see "The Future Belongs to Me" in some of
the pronouncements of our great leaders, followers, and
hangers on, and I do NOT discount the emotional effects of
music and crowd hysteria. I do, however, think that continuous
and unrelenting hate is just as hysterical and unreasonable.
===============================
jj (Yes, I DO exist, Virginia!)
J. D. (Jim, Sparky, 'jj') Johnston.
Acoustics Research, AT&T Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ
mail (if you really care anymore) to:
{allegra/ulysses/harpo/floyd/ihnp4}!rabbit!jj