From: Black Unicorn <unicorn@schloss.li>
Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 20:34:15 +0800
To: "Perry E. Metzger" <perry@piermont.com>
Subject: Re: Freedom and security
In-Reply-To: <199605010250.WAA15372@jekyll.piermont.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.93.960501041802.614e-100000@polaris.mindport.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On Tue, 30 Apr 1996, Perry E. Metzger wrote:

> Mr. Hatcher wrote:

> > Or that child pornography is a world wide trading game?
> 
> I must admit to having an odd viewpoint. I don't particularly care
> about child pornography. Our nation seems to have an obsession with
> the notion that somewhere out there someone is looking at a picture of
> a naked boy or something. Myself, well, I am far from convinced that
> the existance of child pornography is nearly as much of a threat to me
> as the people who want to dismantle all our freedoms in order to stop
> it. Most of the child pornography in the U.S. is distributed by the
> FBI during stings, you know.

>From what I can tell, your viewpoint is hardly odd.  I find child
pornography distasteful in a vague and general way, but I am otherwise
farily indifferent.

This pattern that Mr. Hatcher is showing, demonize an act then show shock
when no one else responds to the propaganda; followup by demonizing those
not shocked by the demonized act, is a fairly classic tactic.  See
e.g., Atwood, Orwell, Cambodia.

> > Have you never heard of email forgeries or impersonation?
> 
> Yes. I also happen to have heard that people can impersonate you in
> real life, too.
> 
> > What about tthe victims of harassment and hatred who don't know how
> > to deal with it?  What about all the people who have never heard of
> > killfiles?
> 
> I suppose they will have to learn, won't they?

But Mr. Metzger, that requires _effort_ and decision making.  We must save
the people from _effort_ and decision making because only _we_ the elite, 
know what is good for them.

> > Maybe you feel like a veterano and can afford to look condesendingly at all
> > the thousands of fresh-faced netizens just arriving online and say "well if
> > they can't take the heat they should stay out of the fire" - but if we are
> > to call ourselves an emerging "community" then we must take responsibility
> > for our city, and that means caring about other people's problems.

You mean telling other people the only way to solve their problems as if
they are unable to do so themselves, or as if other solutions having
nothing to do with yours do not exist.

By the way, who said we want to call ourselves an emerging 'community' ?

> > When your address is forged and you get flamed and bombed, or if you start
> > receiving anonymous death threats, your freedom is under threat.  It's not
> > enough to say "Well I just turn off my monitor"

Readers will note a familiar tactic.  "Parade of horrors."  The advocate
will pass a series of examples intended to shock and frighten the reader
into accepting the next convenient solution to these problems, which is
coincidently provided by the advocate.

Readers who have any kind of tie to the real world will note that all
these horrors aren't even particularly disturbing and that this betrays
poor advocacy skills.

---
My preferred and soon to be permanent e-mail address:unicorn@schloss.li
"In fact, had Bancroft not existed,       potestas scientiae in usu est
Franklin might have had to invent him."    in nihilum nil posse reverti
00B9289C28DC0E55  E16D5378B81E1C96 - Finger for Current Key Information
Opp. Counsel: For all your expert testimony needs: jimbell@pacifier.com