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C00002 00002 %humor[w89,jmc] points for discussion
C00003 00003 Clippings
C00004 00004 Statement from Templeton
C00007 00005 ∂14-Feb-89 2117 wab@sumex-aim.stanford.edu rec.humor
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%humor[w89,jmc] points for discussion
Joel Shurkin 5-1944
1. Index liber prohibitorum
2. The biggest danger today is selfrighteousness.
Tim Marklein, Stanford Daily
328-5443
Clippings
1. Stanford Daily, Jason Bloomstein, Jan 30
2. San Jose Mercury, Tom Philp, Jan 31
3. Peninsula Times-Tribune, Mary Madison, Jan 31
4. Joel Shurkin, Campus Report, Feb 1
5. Stanford Daily, Jason Bloomstein, Feb 1, also correction
6. SF Chronicle, Bill Workman, Feb 1
7. Stanford Daily, anticensorship editorial, Feb 3
8. Campus Report, Feb 15, story and my statement
9. New Scientist, Feb 11
Statement from Templeton
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To: su-etc@score.stanford.edu
Subject: rec.humor.funny *is* educational
Date: Fri Feb 10 18:48:16 1989
Message-Id: <8902101848.AA08808@looking.UUCP>
From: Brad Templeton <brad%looking.uucp@relay.cs.net>
Rec.humor.funny, I can proudly say, is the most widely read group on usenet.
(Another group, news.annouce.conferences reports higher due to acknowledged
errors in the readership collection process.)
There are those that argue that USENET is the largest network of its kind
in the world. A case can thus be made that rec.humor.funny is the most
widely read electronic forum in the world. This is by no means certain,
but it can be argued.
It is thus, and I am not making this up, the cutting edge of a grand
social experiment in human-computer networking.
Ok, that's grandiose, I'll admit. On the surface, it may be just jokes,
a small percentage of which may offend. Underneath, there's something
that is highly relevant to Stanford's participation in the computer
network community of the future. To say this has no educational
relevance is dubious, at best.
∂14-Feb-89 2117 wab@sumex-aim.stanford.edu rec.humor
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Date: Tue, 14 Feb 1989 21:15:51 PST
From: "William A. Brown" <wab@sumex-aim.stanford.edu>
To: su-etc@sumex-aim.stanford.edu
Subject: rec.humor
Cc: wab@sumex-aim.stanford.edu
Message-Id: <CMM.0.88.603522951.wab@sumex-aim.stanford.edu>
Recently I was sent a memo from an office member in KSL (the Knowledge
Systems Lab) regarding our policy on rec.humor. MY policy is clear and
simple. There is no place in college telecommunications for racially and
sexually offensive jokes. This is not an issue of free speech; this is an
issue of the social responsibility of a University. The Univerisity has never
proposed that rec.humor's production be halted - it has simply cancelled its
subscription to this sometimes offensive service. It obviously does NOT have
to cater to every news service, as anyone who tries to find a Black magazine
on campus will readily discover. I wonder if these so-called liberals who are
calling for the restoration of rec.humor would also call for the installment
of news services supported by anti-White groups?
Racially and sexually derogatory jokes are VERY offensive to their
targets. I sincerely wonder if you "liberals" would laugh at jokes making fun
of the supposed sexual inadequacy of White males? Or a joke poking fun at the
supposed reason many Black men have sex with White women - they'll do more
tricks than your dog. I think you get the point. Whether disguised as free
speech or simply stated as racism or sexism, such humor IS hurtful. It is a
University's right and RESPONSIBILITY to minimize such inflammatory
correspondence in PUBLIC telecommunications.
Furthermore, those who argue for a colorless society are hopefully just
ignorant, possibly much worse. Please don't EVER assume my culture is
meaningless. It is only out of your ignorance that you attempt to discredit
other cultures, while fully supporting your own. Culture is simply a system
of survival for a people. Every race has one, as well as many geographic
regions. The purpose of culture is to increase the survival of a people.
Offensive material like rec.humor damage everyone because it perpetuates
negative stereotypes, and thus limits how much one can learn from the
ridiculed culture. Without cultures foreign to White Americans, we would not
have the serenity of Japanese gardens, the concept of non-violent
protest from Ghandi, or the lifesaving American Blood Bank, which
is a brainchild of Dr. Charles Drew, a product of and leader in
Black American Medicine. Today our country is quickly approaching
a stage where the majority of its citizens will be people of
color. And yet we promote very few role models for them. White
American culture assaults the senses every time one turns on the
television. Even if I can't force the presentation of other
cultures - and I DO NOT assume this is impossible - I will ALWAYS
protest the stereotyping of my culture. For once the University
acted with some modicum of maturity. I sincerely hope it
maintains this status by refusing to reverse its decision.
Sincerely,
William Brown, Jr.
MD-PhD student
Stanford University School of Medicine
∂15-Feb-89 1827 @polya.stanford.edu:wab@sumex-aim.stanford.edu Re: Black culture on the net
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Date: Wed, 15 Feb 1989 18:25:42 PST
From: "William A. Brown" <wab@sumex-aim.stanford.edu>
To: heit@psych.stanford.edu
Cc: wab@sumex-aim.stanford.edu, su-etc@polya.stanford.edu
Subject: Re: Black culture on the net
In-Reply-To: Your message of Wed, 15 Feb 89 15:30:05 PST
Message-Id: <CMM.0.88.603599142.wab@sumex-aim.stanford.edu>
Evan,
Thank you very much for that piece of information. I shall certainly
investigate soc.culture.african, and I know several people who would be
interested in forming soc.african-american. Again, thank you VERY much for
that information.
Bill
∂15-Feb-89 1910 @polya.stanford.edu:wab@sumex-aim.stanford.edu rec.humor.funny issue, adieu
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Date: Wed, 15 Feb 1989 19:07:51 PST
From: "William A. Brown" <wab@sumex-aim.stanford.edu>
To: Andy Freeman <andy@polya.stanford.edu>
Cc: wab@sumex-aim.stanford.edu, su-etc@polya.stanford.edu
In-Reply-To: Your message of Wed, 15 Feb 89 16:52:21 -0800
Subject: rec.humor.funny issue, adieu
Message-Id: <CMM.0.88.603601671.wab@sumex-aim.stanford.edu>
Andy,
Please see the reply to another letter I have posted on su-etc. It also
addressed the issue of the lack of Black cultural bboards. I appreciate the
concern, and I will definately keep you updated via su-etc.
The next message is for the bulletin board in general: I SINCERELY
appreciate the input, good and bad, I have received. Actually, the input is
neither good nor bad, its value is determined by its use. I am also fully
aware that such an exchange could never occur on a highly restricted
database. It would therefore seem I am arguing against the very thing I am
using to argue with! Close, but not quite. Having received most of my
pre-professional training in the Black American educational system, I have a
different outlook than most students. I certainly didn't expect the kind of
close, warm relationships I developed at Hampton University, but I was not
prepared for the antagonism. I don't quite know if it's California, or just
Stanford, but even when I studied at Cornell Medical School and Boston
Univeristy school of medicine, at least among the students, if one couldn't
say something nice about someone, it was not said at all. A kindler, gentler
America starts with the man/woman in the mirror.
I don't know how many times I have had the most pompous questions asked of
me; how many times a secretary has gone out of her way to make my day
miserable. I sincerely doubt any of my instructors even know my name,
although I am in the most difficult program in the medical center. Even my
colleagues in my lab waited until last month to get the courage to include me
in a casual conversation for the first time, although I have been working
there five months.
I don't really mind the isolation - I can still deal, and it gives me
PLENTY of time to study. But I really don't like the cruel humor. Once you
come down from the high-flying ideals, it boils down to someone insisting on
his right to be cruel to someone. That is a right he/she has, but NOT in ALL
media.
I've been a hacker for years, and really enjoy the annonimity of the
computer. No vision - no preconcieved notions. As I slip back into my
annonimous state, I present one last idea to my fellow hackers - why not
start a POSITIVE bulletin board? One that would devlop the miriad positive
unique aspects of our cultures, countries, etc. I'll be glad to start by
starting a Black American culture bulletin board. anyone interested in
contributing can send me a letter at s.summer-rain@lear. It would also be
nice to have a multicultural bulletin board with contributions from all of
the unicultural bboards. Perhaps it would have sections for politics,
religion, cooking, education - who knows? There are so many more positive
things we can do with computing other than making off-color jokes. Just think
about it, and drop me a line sometime (@lear please
[s.summer-rain@lear.stanford.edu] - ksl [sumex-aim] is my "work" address.).
I'm booked 'till the end of the quarter, but there's next quarter to get some
action started. Thanks again for the imput - the pen (or computer) IS
mightier than the sword, and it causes much less trauma.
Very sincerely,
William Augustus Brown, Jr.