Received: from acs1.bu.edu (ACS1.BU.EDU [128.197.152.10]) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.8.4/8.8.4/CNS-4.1p-nh) with ESMTP id GAA10078 for ; Wed, 17 Dec 1997 06:07:08 -0700 (MST) Received: from localhost (conroyt@localhost) by acs1.bu.edu (8.8.5/) with SMTP id IAA43412; Wed, 17 Dec 1997 08:05:30 -0500 Date: Wed, 17 Dec 1997 08:05:30 -0500 (EST) From: thomas conroy To: Sociology Graduate Students -- International cc: Christa.Hughes@asu.edu Subject: Re: Fwd: (Insect Politics), bias and media In-Reply-To: Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Okay, thanks, Christa, for making clear your position; I, and most likely most of us here, find this attitude intolerable as well. Though I'm not sure I'd use the term "ideology," since I take that to mean a tacit or official justification for the status quo, I now see what you were getting at. I hope that there are no hard feelings and that you keep posting. Happy holidays! Tom Conroy Boston University - Sociology On Wed, 17 Dec 1997 Christa.Hughes@asu.edu wrote: > Pardon my liberal-minded grammar. I meant to say that I find the > common ideology of intolerance for economically-deprived persons > undesirable. And Pattie, thanks for posting that again b/c I had forgotten > that it stated that the grasshopper thought the ant a fool, which clearly > indicates a consciousness of conditions of choice. If I were to use this > scenario in my classes I think I'd leave out that part in order to assess > prevailing assumptions. > > > Christa Hughes > > > On Tue, 16 Dec 1997, thomas conroy wrote: > > > Pattie, > > > > Not to beat a dead horse to death, but since you are so convinced of > > Christa's clarity and need to be supported, could you explain one thing, > > please: What is an "undesirable" ideology? (I know what an ideology refers > > to, but what could be meant by this particular formulation)? > > > > On Tue, 16 Dec 1997, Pattie Thomas wrote: > > > > > > > > Please stop criticizing Christa! This was her original post (which I kept > > > b/c I thought it was so good). All I can figure out is that the original > > > got lost in the shuffle because we are now debating the original fable and > > > stating that Christa's intentions were not obvious. I think she was very > > > straightforward in the posting and I for one appreciate her pointing this > > > posting out. IT IS QUITE CLEAR THAT SHE DID NOT SUPPORT THE INTENTION OF > > > THIS "JOKE" and IT IS QUITE CLEAR THAT THE ORIGINAL POSTER WAS OFFERING AN > > > PARTICULAR (AND I THINK CRUEL) VERSION OF THIS FABLE. > > > > > > I wouldn't even dignify this latest turn of the discussion with an answer, > > > but I'm really in a bad mood today and I'm tired of reading this thread > > > and most of all I want to show support for Christa. > > > > > > Christa, thanks again for posting it and for all the interesting > > > discussion it stimulated. If anything I think you have proven that it > > > would be a great discussion stimulator in the classroom and a sensitive > > > subject in society. Don't let all this misunderstanding "bug" you ;). > > > > > > Pattie Thomas > > > > > > On Sun, 7 Dec 1997 Christa.Hughes@asu.edu wrote: > > > > > > > I'm sending this to the two listserv's I subscribe to b/c I wanted > > > > to share this blatant form of cynicism and disgust, couched in the form of > > > > a "joke." Perhaps by viewing this we can see how 'undesirable' ideologies > > > > are transmitted now through this new form of media: the Internet. Most > > > > persons in the US (40%) who own a computer and have Internet access are > > > > middle-Americans who can now transmit these ideologies to their > > > > counterparts via this medium, with what ultimate consequences? I found > > > > this concept interesting. Whether it generates dialogue or not, it's food > > > > for thought. > > > > > > > > [ Part 2: "Included Message" ] > > > > > > > > Date: Sun, 07 Dec 1997 02:37:59 -0500 > > > > From: Ari's Humor List > > > > To: aris-humor@MyList.net > > > > Subject: Insect Politics > > > > > > > > The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long > > > > building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The > > > > grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs and dances and plays > > > > the summer away. Come winter the ant is warm and well fed. > > > > The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold. > > > > > > > > > > > > Modern American Version: > > > > > > > > Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press > > > > conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed > > > > to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. > > > > CBS, NBC, and ABC show up and provide pictures of the > > > > shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his > > > > comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is > > > > stunned by the sharp contrast. How can it be that, in a country > > > > of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? > > > > > > > > Then a representative of the NAAGB (The national association of > > > > green bugs) shows up on Nightline and charges the ant with "green > > > > bias" and makes the case that the grasshopper is the victim of 30 > > > > million years of greenism. Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with > > > > the grasshopper, and everybody cries when he sings, "It's not easy > > > > being green." > > > > > > > > Bill and Hillary Clinton make a special guest appearance on the CBS > > > > Evening News to tell a concerned Dan Rather that they will do > > > > everything they can for the grasshopper who has been denied the > > > > prosperity he deserves by those who benefited unfairly during the > > > > Reagan summers, or as Bill refers to it, the "Temperatures of the > > > > 80's." > > > > > > > > Richard Gephardt exclaims in an interview with Peter Jennings that > > > > the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper and calls for > > > > an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share. > > > > Finally, the EECO drafts the "Economic Equity and Anti-Greenism > > > > Act," retroactive to the beginning of the summer. > > > > > > > > The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green > > > > bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home > > > > is confiscated by the government. Hillary gets her old law firm to > > > > represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and > > > > the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that hear cases on > > > > Thursday's between 1:30 and 3pm when there are no talk shows > > > > scheduled. The ant loses the case. > > > > > > > > The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits > > > > of the ant's food while the government house he's in, which just > > > > happens to be the ant's old home, crumbles around him since he > > > > doesn't know how to maintain it. > > > > > > > > The ant has disappeared in the snow. > > > > > > > > And on the TV, which the grasshopper bought by selling most of the > > > > ant's food, they're showing Bill Clinton standing before a wildly > > > > applauding group of Democrats announcing that a new era of > > > > "fairness" has dawned in America. > > > > _______________________________________________________________ > > > > ARI'S HUMOR LIST > > > > by Ari Lifschitz > > > > > > > > For a free subscription: > > > > Send e-mail to: aris-humor-Request@MyList.net > > > > Body of Message: subscribe > > > > > > > > To unsubscribe: > > > > Send e-mail to: aris-humor-Request@MyList.net > > > > Body of Message: unsubscribe > > > > > > > > To contribute a joke: > > > > Send your jokes to: owner-aris-humor@MyList.net > > > > Do not send copyrighted material > > > > > > > > Keep on Laughing... > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >