My! What a busy week... and lots of activity on the OOC bulletin board as well. Thanks to all that sent me notes. Poor ol' tOOn just doesn't get out much and really appreciates all the lovely mail.
Where to start? Hm. There were a couple of folks that really seemed to want a specific response, raised a couple of good issues, and didn't want to remain anonymous.
First, Mr. Schiller, let me say that your suggestion that I would take your words out of context is very disappointing.
Feel free to print this mail, either in whole or in part, as long as my name is included with it, and as long as there is a link to the full version. I desire no anonymity, as it is my personal belief that one is willing to leap off a cliff, one must also be willing to hit the bottom of the canyon.
Believe me, none of the stuff I post is taken out of context. I'd be more than happy to attribute anything I post, if the people told me these things would give me permission. To my shock and amazement, 99% of my corespondents seem to believe that if any of the stuff they've said in confidence were to become public they'd be hounded off FSM. That's why it's paraphrased rather than quoted.
If you'd care to identify any of the things I've posted as something you think I've taken out of context, feel free to send me mail and I'll put your name on it.
It original is long gone it seems (http://icecream.sandwich.net/toonletter.txt), so we can only refer to my local copy I'm not going to quote chapter and verse, just address the issues.
There are only two ways of telling the complete truth -- anonymously and posthumously. -- Thomas Sowell
Do you think for one second that I would be allowed to have a character on FSM if my identity were known? In recent events two long-standing members of FurrySpace that have gone to great effort to contribute to the game and have done so for years were driven away. The "Wizzes" had a direct hand in both events. Remember, these are the folks that can (and do) watch private conversations either invisibly or by trolling the logs. I have first-hand knowledge of this, so please don't say "They'd never" or "That's taken out of context" -- it's straight from the hor.. er.. dragon's mouth.
You paraphrase Voltaire:
I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write. [Voltaire, in a letter to M. le Riche, Feb. 6, 1770.]
The guarantee of free speech is only as good as the people enforcing it. As you say: With freedom, there can be no double standards. I agree. I've never said that FSM was free or a "public accommodation" and certainly believe the Wizzes (and many of the players) have double standards. I intend to remain anonymous for precisely that reason.
Wait a moment. If it isn't you that think my tactics are similar to Goebbels, surely this must have come up in conversation. I'd hate to think it was taken out of context. Why don't you have them send me something I can post?
And speaking of revisionist history...
VICTORY! PHONE HOME! TOON WANTS TO TALK!
RED! SURELY YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? SEND MAIL!
If there was a bully kicking a puppy in their yard I wouldn't just walk past and say, "Not my puppy. None of my business." If I couldn't get the cops to do anything about this, I'd do my best to get the puppy out of that yard.
In my opinion, Slipstream tried to bulldoze FurrySpace and transplant everyone he liked over to FurrySpaceMUCK. Needless to say, the rules changed when that happened. I don't think folks really understand how much it's changed. What other stuff is different now that folks are over here?
This isn't about the Wizzes, or Slipstream. It's about you... the collective you, that is. So much of what's going on is happening behind the scenes and in private. All of this "he said, she said" b*llsh*t would be moot if the discussions were held in public. Of course, it takes more work and more time to keep folks informed and get their input. Secrecy is just easier. And besides, it public discussion just gets in the way of what Slipstream really wants to do. And that's what's really important, isn't it? :-)
Well, I consider this site to be "Radio Free FurrySpaceMuckNews" -- and I'm gratified that others feel the same. Keep those cards and letters coming, kiddies.
Q: But aren’t there limits to free speech? You can’t yell “Fire!” in a crowded theatre, can you?A: No, you cannot falsely yell "fire" and cause a panic. The ACLU recognizes that under some circumstances, limitations must be imposed on speech. But people who use this argument are rarely interested in free speech; they are usually justifying the limiting of speech with which they disagree. As U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas observed: “Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.”
Are you really suggesting that I'm causing a panic on FSM? People rushing for the exits, causing bodily harm, crushing each other in an effort to flee the false claim of a deadly fire? Please... let's not blow this out of proportion. These are political 'toons. If folks don't want to see them, they don't have to visit. If folks want to see 'toons about what no one dares post in public, Come On Down! Fire! Fire!
You realize, of course, that if these things could be said in public on FSM, no one would have any reason to come here. I can't think of anything more sublime than having nothing to write about on this site.
Virtue untested is arrogance. -- Unknown
You make another important point. Why do something that is almost 100% guaranteed to annoy folks? Why comment on situations where I, personally will not say I was present. Well, lots of folks do political cartoons on situations and events that they weren't present for. The cartoonists do research, they talk to folks, they use "reliable sources" -- and so do I.
How many times have folks on this MUCK (and in other situations) shied away from controversy so they would not "risk offending someone, possibly one of [their] friends"? Well, Mr. Schiller, I count on my friends to tell me when I'm being an idiot and not spare my feelings when I'm doing something wrong. How could they stand by and let me continue to hurt others and still call themselves my friend? At the very least, they can take me aside and reason with me. How can I possibly trust someone that would stand by and let me continue to hurt others?
If my friends aren't willing to stand up for what they believe in, how can I think for one moment they will stand by me when I need them?
I'm glad you like some of my work. I'm sorry you don't like others. I'm actually quite pleased you wrote, even if I think you're wrong. :-) The only way to make things better is to discuss them, in the open, where everyone is free to comment. Wouldn't it be nice if FSM worked that way?
Who said they were being oppressed? Wasn't me. Who brought this whole oppression thing up, any way? Just for grins, I looked up the definition of oppression:
Main Entry: op·pres·sion
Pronunciation: &-'pre-sh&n
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 a : unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power b : something that oppresses especially in being an unjust or excessive exercise of power
2 : a sense of being weighed down in body or mind :
Well, a lot of the stuff I've seen here qualifies. Some folks have been saying that this isn't really oppression. That people all over the world are suffering and this just doesn't count. We wouldn't know oppression if it bit us on the... anyway.
Go back and read the section on Kicking Puppies again. Some of this stuff is downright mean and nasty. It should be ignored because it's just a little wrong? We should look the other way because it's just a little evil? Hogwash.
Yeah, nobody's gonna die and nobody's going to jail. No one is being throw out of their home or country and no one is having their house raided by the secret police... but... people are being told "maybe you should just move on" and having their work stolen and there are folks abusing others with the help of (at least) one of the Wizzes. Isn't that just a little bit oppressive? Can't we get just a little angry about it?
As for the Nazi thing, you're probably right. After some consideration, I've changed my mind. It should have been Stalin.