Hmm. As one may imagine, I've been giving this little situation a good deal of thought since last night, and while sorting thru listmail this morning, I recalled a certain parallel that I had read about in my youth.
The philosopher Bertrand Russell was offered a position at the College of the City of New York in the early 1940s. Russell, of course, is well known for his vitriolic diatribes against religion, and there was a prompt uproar across the nation that this "godless Brit" was going to have this opportunity to "poison the minds of our youth". The attacks on his character flew fast and furious. At the beginning of all this, he issued a brief statement, in response to one of the early attacks by a particular clergyman (which makes it all the more entertaining that I'm using it myself to comment on the current situation).
Russell said, "I have no wish to answer Bishop Manning's attack. . . . Anyone who decides in youth both to think and to speak honestly, regardless of hostility and misrepresentation, expects such attacks and soon learns that it is best to ignore them."
Wise man, Bertrand Russell. I think I'll start re-reading him.
Posted by Zathras at August 5, 2003 07:06 AMIs this about that Elvis post?
Posted by: Shaw at August 5, 2003 10:44 AMNo, it isn't -- completely unrelated matter. I'd never yell at you or get angry at you or anything like that just because you like Elvis. It certainly causes me to question your musical taste, but nothing more. :-)
Posted by: Zathras at August 5, 2003 11:33 AMah - ok. I just checked Molly's blog and I (sorta) see what's happening here. Um, at least, kinda see.
Posted by: Shaw at August 5, 2003 11:36 AMSo, what's with all these flame wars? This must be the dog days of summer - just seems like people's moods and attitudes are intense. A woman almost crashed into me yesterday while I was driving from the post office. She wouldn't give me the right of way (which, legally, I had), and she came close to driving right into me ...
Posted by: Shaw at August 5, 2003 11:38 AM