scott@hou2g.UUCP (Mr. Berry) (02/13/86)
>> Okay, boys and girls, listen up: Anyone who goes to a public beach >> and expects privacy is a fool. They are called *public* beaches for >> a reason. If you go there you had better be prepared to handle >> people attempting to engage you in conversation. (And yes, many of >> them will be hoping that that engaging you in conversation will >> lead to engaging you in other activities.) >> >> If you do not want to be approached by strangers, find yourself >> a private beach, or a backyard where strangers are not welcome. >> Snoopy >> tektronix!tekecs!doghouse.TEK!snoopy > A woman (or man) sitting alone at a singles bar or similar > setting has indicated that he or she is interested in company. That > is NOT the case at public beaches. Attitudes like that of Snoopy > make me understand why some women get angry. > Bill Tanenbaum - AT&T Bell Labs - Naperville IL ihnp4!ihlpg!tan In an attempt to cool things off, let me give my interpretation of what Snoopy said. It seems to me he was making a statement about how things ARE, not how they SHOULD BE (or how we'd like them to be). We may not like to be disturbed at the beach, but it HAPPENS, just as it does in many (most?) public places. I *do* disagree with his suggestion about staying home. You should go to the beach anyway, and try to prevent the interruptions by letting undesirables know how you feel--set a (new?) precedent. Bill's statement, by the way, seems no different to me that saying "a women sitting alone at the beach with her strap undone has indicated she is interested in company". That's BILL'S interpretation, and while it's perhaps a more "accepted" one, it's still an interpretation. I might go into a bar just because I want a sandwich or a quick beer on the way home--not because I'm interested in company. I can't very well drag someone off the street to sit with me so I won't be seen as "interested in company"--especially if I don't WANT company. I *DO* understand that someone in the bar may approach me, however, and I accept it. ========================================= "Even though he's COMOTOSE, he must have activated his ability to project a mucous extradimensional substance into this reality." Scott J. Berry ihnp4!hou2g!scott
tan@ihlpg.UUCP (Bill Tanenbaum) (02/14/86)
> > [Me] > > A woman (or man) sitting alone at a singles bar or similar > > setting has indicated that he or she is interested in company. That > > is NOT the case at public beaches. Attitudes like that of Snoopy > > make me understand why some women get angry. -------- > [Scott Berry] > Bill's statement, by the way, seems no different to me that saying > "a women sitting alone at the beach with her strap undone has indicated > she is interested in company". That's BILL'S interpretation, and while > it's perhaps a more "accepted" one, it's still an interpretation. I > might go into a bar just because I want a sandwich or a quick beer on > the way home--not because I'm interested in company. I can't very well > drag someone off the street to sit with me so I won't be seen as "interested > in company"--especially if I don't WANT company. I *DO* understand that > someone in the bar may approach me, however, and I accept it. ----- I used the term "singles bar" in a generic sense to indicate a place where people go to meet members of the opposite sex. Since I have been married for eighteen years and I don't drink alcohol, I am totally ignorant of the situation in real "singles bars". Perhaps I used a bad example? -- Bill Tanenbaum - AT&T Bell Labs - Naperville IL ihnp4!ihlpg!tan