Re: this list's purpose and irrelevancies

[maiullo@tms.attmail.com (Gary Maiullo)]

JenniferD, re:

>>>>>>> This list is dedicated to the Greatest Rock Band in History.  I
would ask that we put our personal biases and prejudices aside and talk
about the Who- no racial comments, and no sick minds that twist things into
something to fight about.

        I see you put your "guitar" away!  
        In the few months that you've been on the list, you may have noticed 
that the topics will stray off on different tangents, sometimes away from the 
"Oo".  I think that actually keeps things interesting.  I mean, I love the 
Who, but "Man does not live on bread alone", if you get my drift.  
        Actually, you kind of hit the nail on the head.  What ALWAYS happens 
when someone hits on a "sensitive" topic, or makes a comment that is just
outside of "politically correct", someone inevitably takes offense.  In this 
case, someone made a provocative joke about black people scalping tickets, 
and right away the "sensitive" or "politically correct" folks freaked out, 
crying "RACIST! You must be saying that because YOU think ALL black people are
SCUM!", when the guy wasn't even saying the scalper is scum!  He was just 
making a stereotypical reference involving a black man.  You know, same 
concept as "all Italians are dumb", or "all Polish people are dumb", or "all 
British people have bad teeth".....see what I mean?  It was a joke, and that's
all.

>>>>>>> I hadn't even imagined that the comment ("big black bouncer" or
whatever) was racist - it could have been the other was around ("big white
bouncer" looking for black pussy) and I couldn't have cared less.

        I'm not sure about what the above statement is in reference to, but 
the point is, just because someone says "Big black bouncer" or whatever, or 
"big white bouncer looking for black pussy", it does NOT mean they are a 
racist.  It does not mean they hate all whites, or all blacks.  THAT is the 
point.

>>>>>>> There's someone way too sensitive out there, and my advice to him is
not to take things so literally.

        It's not that "him" is taking things literally;  on the contrary, 
"him" is not paying attention to what "him" is reading. If "him" DID, "him"
would understand that the statement made was NOT a blanket statement,
referring to ALL blacks, but a reference to a very real type of person that
exists. Just like there are "white" scalpers, too. They are usually called
"agencies", or sometimes "Ticketmaster" (actually, I'm kidding -- I have no
idea what the racial breakdown is of the owners of those agencies OR
Ticketmaster!).

>>>>>>> Thank you.
        
        You're welcome.  

        gary m.