Re: [Leica] Country of origin

[Krechtz@aol.com]

In a message dated 12/4/00 3:45:36 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
ray_moth@yahoo.com writes:

<< I personally doubt that there is an ounce of
 genuine racial or ethnic hatred in the LUG, but some LUGers sure know
 how to wind each other up . . . or are they just dense?
  >>

    I doubt it, too.  However, the thread in question was grossly off-topic, 
mostly ill-informed, generally unhelpful and in many instances offensive.  
Granted that it is part of the human condition to tend to be prejudiced, it 
nonetheless is part of our responsibility to resist the temptation to speak 
and act mean-spiritedly on our biases.  
    I will even grudgingly concede, for the sake of argument, that many 
stereotypes are based on  perceptions that have at least some basis in human 
experience, albeit usually greatly exaggerated.  If we feel the need to 
engage in the risky business of human stereotyping of any kind, we should at 
least do so with a sense of warm irony, as some of us did, not the kind of 
heavy-handed, jack-booted bravado exhibited by some of the participants in 
the thread.
    I fear no imminent verbal cross-burning on the LUG.  I do, however, 
resent lack of respect shown, both for our collective intellect and 
sensibilities.  For all the sniping and bickering, I have found the LUG to be 
an extraordinary human and intellectual resource.  It is appropriate that it 
close ranks, as I perceive it has done, against a gratuitously discordant and 
potentially divisive and destructive element.  We are now at liberty to 
resume picking at one another over our beloved minutiae and wrangling over 
who is to be the One True Leica Prophet, at least for the week.
    As one holding deep and abiding respect, even love, for language, I am no 
respecter of such adulterants as the phenomenon known as"political 
correctness".
My objection to gratuitous inflammatory nonsense has similar roots.  As I 
recall one of our number to have said, in a different context, "Crap is Crap".
    I believe I have just used several hundred words to express something 
similar to what B.D. recently said quite pithily.  What the hell, I'll send 
it anyway...
    
Joe Sobel