Another response to Hilarity, Histeria, and Huck Finn:

>> Well, that was one of the few H! segments I've seen. IIRC the "good" (healthy white male) writers included Hemingway (point taken on Papa), Mark Twain (maybe), & Emily Dickinson (a healthy white male for sure — NOT!) <<

If you had seen the show, you'd know the writer heroes were Shakespeare and Dickens, not Twain and Dickinson.

>> And the "evil" ones consisted of Basho, who invented the haiku; Sappho of Lesbos — no comment — ; & Edgar Allan Poe, who was as white male as anyone you could care to name <<

I carefully pointed out that the stereotype in Poe's case was his mental illness, not his white maleness. Prejudice against the mentally ill is common in today's society.

>> I think the reason they were grouped together as villains, in addition to Poe's morbidity & the unconventional styles of the others, was how their names sounded together. <<

Er, interesting theory, but you have zero evidence for it.

>> And imo @ least Poe makes a far better villain than Twain or Hemingway would.

Twain wasn't in the episode. You say a rampaging bull-fighter/hunter type wouldn't make a great villain? Ever hear of Kraven the Hunter from Spider-Man comics? He's a classic villain.

Or how about Otto Orion the Hunter from the Legion of Super-Heroes comics? Or the Matador or Man-Bull from Daredevil comics? I could go on, but you get the point.

>> We gotta be careful of folks like this one. <<

Why, because people will listen to me and come to their senses? What's wrong with that?

>> It's for the sake of not offending them that the rest of us can no longer see The Censored 11, A Feather in His Hare, Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt, Which is Witch, Oily American, any Inki toon, any Speedy toon, any Bosko toon <<

Never heard of them. Sounds like no great loss. But you're welcome to watch them wherever you can, especially in the privacy of your home.

Here's a news item I think you'll appreciate. From the LA Times, 5/1/01:

I'd call it a smart and sensible move. Want to see the excluded cartoons? Find a dealer and buy them on tape.

>> What about slurs against Irish? Germans? Scottish? French? Southerners?

What about them? Slurs are generally a bad idea. Can you name any great pieces of literature or art that require slurs to work?

>> Btw I happen to be all of the above (except French). I'm also part Cherokee & the Indian jokes never offended me. <<

Who really cares what you, a single individual, thinks? The widespread Indian angst over such offenses as sports mascots, "squaw," and Tonto is well-documented. When they nominate you to speak for them, by all means let us know.

>> What's wrong with me that I don't take offense whenever the subject of tightfistedness, or hot temper, or the legacy of Dixie or of Weimar, comes up? <<

Good for you, half-breed. When someone calls you names like that a few dozen or hundred times, maybe you'll change your tune. Or maybe you're immune to being associated with a "murderin' half-breed" like Twain's Injun Joe. Again, when you speak for all Native people, mongrel, please let us know.

>> if there's 1 thing he's proven time & again, it's that we do not, Not, NOT, have the right to not be offended. <<

You also don't have the right not to be criticized. You go right on offending people and I'll go right on criticizing you for it. May the best person win.

>> If you wanna go thru life without being offended, go hole up in your house & never come out, 'cause this world offends all who look for reason to be. <<

Who said *I* was offended, half-breed?

You also could argue that it's impossible to go through life without experiencing disease and crime and other problems. Therefore, following your "logic," we should eliminate the police and doctors and just let everyone die. Not exactly a brilliant argument or one likely to sway people, eh?

>> There are many Christians, conservatives, Southerners, Americans, heterosexuals, white people, & males who'll back me up on this. <<

Yes, the people who control the reins of power always want to maintain that control.

>> Or maybe It's just SOME groups who have the right to not be offended (gays, minorities, women), while other groups don't (Christians, whites, males). <<

Minorities have more right to be offended because they're offended more often and the offenses cause more harm.

>> Sounds like some are more equal that others, & I thought that'd been struck down in '54. <<

We're talking about morality, mongrel, not legality.

>> No thanks; I've seen enough. <<

Ignorance is bliss, apparently.

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