<div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">=========================================================================<br>L O W L A N D S - L - 05 February 2008 - Volume 04<br style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">
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=========================================================================<br></div><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">From: </span><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="HcCDpe"><span class="EP8xU" style="color: rgb(121, 6, 25);">Mark Dreyer</span> <span class="lDACoc"><<a href="mailto:mrdreyer@lantic.net">mrdreyer@lantic.net</a>></span></span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Subject: </span><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="HcCDpe">LL-L "Media" 2008.02.04 (06) [E]<br><br></span><div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<font size="2">Dear Ron & All:</font></div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="2">Subject: L-Lowlands "Politics"</font></div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="2">A pox on political correctness!</font></div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="2">Ron, I do not want to see you, of all people,
walking on eggs on your own list of alllll lists!</font></div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="2">I will not pretend I haven't had my toes trodden
on, oh, my dainty corns, & came out blazing with both guns & ducked back
for the coverts, but I will not pretend I have a 'right' not to be targeted,
either in the collective or personal context. It is exactly under such
conditions that the truth will out!</font></div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="2">To duck back a couple of strings, Uilenspiegel
& Nasreddin both performed very necessary social (& political)
functions, & so did Rabalais, & so does Commissar Borat, so the proper
place of satire & burlesque is by no means restricted to the Middle Ages.
Ron. put on your ragged motley & prance your piece before the Great
Kahuna, blat the po-faced ponces on the mouths with your disgusting bladder on a
stick: Trek die hele siel uit elke liewe onderdane voor die keiserlike
setel uitgerank, tot op die laaste los repie dat dit wapper. Pull out
totally the souls of every darling subject arranged around the Imperial
throne, to the last loose rag & let it flutter. Only remember, in the old
days, if you took off your motley, your head came off with it.</font></div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="2">In the meantime, if someone bites back for
something that you said. Remember, but gently do not remind him, that he has
given something precious of himself away, his dear pretensions.</font></div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="2">Yrs,</font></div>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><font size="2">Mark<br><br>----------<br><br>From: R. F. Hahn <<a href="mailto:sassisch@yahoo.com">sassisch@yahoo.com</a>><br>Subject: Humor<br><br>I value your supportive stance, dear Mark. But this may not be a case of political correctness versus the opposite. It seems to have begun with a misunderstanding, namely with me taking Luc's and Ingmar's responses as teasing rather than as serious, and I ran with what I thought were their satirical ouvertures. Seeing it from their side, I totally accept Luc's and Ingmar's sensitivities and indignation, and it makes me think no less of them whom I've always have regarded highly.<br>
<br>All humor has a serious side, as Luc said, and satire assumes certain attitudes and knowledge and requires work on the part of the beholder. It pushes different buttons in different people. As Elsie alluded, the joker may end up being totally misread. Levity has always worked on this list, but apparently there are areas in which at least satire is inappropriate in that it can be divisive and thus counteract one of the basic goals: bringing people together.<br>
<br>We can only <i>hope</i>, not mandate, that people think of themselves as individuals among individuals here rather than as representing countries, ethnic groups and so forth.<br><br>Sure, if you and I have a </font><i>tête à tête</i> there need be no bounds to the buffoonery. <br>
<br>And happy Fat Tuesday to those that celebrate it!<br><br>Regards,<br>Reinhard/Ron<br><br><br>
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