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RE: Obscene content in cygwin file.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: cygwin-owner On Behalf Of Christopher Faylor
> Sent: 07 January 2005 14:52

> Business issues are not the point here, though.  My issue is that I
> grant others the right to be offended by the type of language we're
> talking about.  It is a given that there are many people in 
> our society
> who will be offended by it.  These people do not buy Playboy 
> or Hustler
> because they do not like what these magazines represent but 
> they aren't
> out picketing those establishments, either.  So, they are 
> following the "Just don't look at it then!" scenario.

  That unfortunately is not true.  In this country we've just had a theatre play
shut down by threats of violence from one group of religious bigots, and there
is currently an ongoing pressure campaign from another group of religious bigots
to try and pressure the BBC into pulling an as-yet unscreened program on the
grounds that if it was screened and if they did happen to watch it they might be
offended.

  Of course, if they're forewarned enough to know that they might find this
program offensive, they're perfectly well forewarned enough to not end up
watching it by accident, but that's not good enough for them, and the reason why
it's not good enough for them is that the potential offence they might suffer is
a mere pretext, and their real concern is to try and compel everyone else to be
like they are by controlling what we may see and hear in an effort to control
how we think.  It's coercive evangelism.  Forcible recruitment.  Religious
pressganging.  Blackmail, brainwashing and mind control.

  So no, I'm no longer prepared to automatically extend to people the right to
take offence at what I say or do, since they regularly abuse that right in an
attempt to - well, basically, to enslave others and rule over their minds.  It's
insanity to hand every single religious crank with an agenda to push an absolute
veto over anything and everything you might ever want to do or say.

  I do not believe people have the right to jump up and voluntarily *choose* to
be offended by things that are perfectly reasonable to all those who are
actually involved or affected.  They *are* going into newsagents, pulling
Playboy off the shelves, opening it up, reading it (probably hypocritically
enjoying it too), and then whining about how offended they are and demanding
that the entire world be made conform to their personal tastes and beliefs.
It's in this way that solipsism turns into dictatorial oppression.


    cheers, 
      DaveK
-- 
Can't think of a witty .sigline today....


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