Mark,
Nice response.
Being that I have done stand up comedy for many years (and yes, Star Trek
fans have been a constant target of said comedy over the years) I would
normally respond to you with some type of sarcastic response. However, in
this case I feel that would be unjustified as you have made a strong
argument against what I have said and I feel you deserve more respect than
that type of response might give back to you.
But no matter what is said to me, or whatever type of justification is
provided for it, I'll never understand why anyone would ever translate
Hamlet into Klingon. And you have to at least agree with me that Captain
Janeway is pretty annoying (what's the deal with the hair?)
To me the funniest part of the subculture that the show has created over the
years (which is somewhat understandable based on the fact that the show
first showed up during the "Space Race" era) is the fact that even the
actors themselves have constantly poked fun at the very same fans (and
themselves and their Star Trek roles) on a regular basis.
Another example of this would be the 3rd Rock From The Sun episode in which
George Takei appeared.
All in all I do not think the show itself was all that bad (for a weekly
sci-fi show from the 1960's) however I think that the underground movement
it has created has opened itself up to the torment of others. I do not
belittle the individuals personally who watch the show (including my very
own father who is in fact a very very loyal fan), they are people and as
such are welcomed to their own views on what they like and do not. Further I
do not feel their choices of entertainment are basis for making a personal
judgment. This is not to say that I do not enjoy making light of the
underground following that the show has spawned, because quite the opposite
is true. I just find it very funny (and somewhat frightening in respects)
when a science fiction/fantasy television show creates such emotions and
loyalties in people that they will be willing to sacrifice
large amounts of their lives to following it and to learning it's
idiosyncrasies. Perhaps society would be better served if people would use
their time to advance and learn of their own culture, rather than to
completely immerse themselves into a world of fantasy.
I recommend (if you have done so already) that you read the book "We" by
Yvengy Zamyatin. It provides a much more specific and detailed commentary on
the loss of culture and of the assimilation of the individual into the
general consciousness than I could ever provide in an e-mail.
In some ways it has an interesting parallel with the same subculture of
which have been speaking.
Fritz
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Weaver <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: F. E. Schaper <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2000 6:22 AM
Subject: Re: [newbie] Re: Fw: Linux
> Fritz,
>
> I liked your commentary. You speak well, but I think you're all wet. For
> reasons known only to yourself and maybe a few close friends you've pigeon
> holed literally hundreds of thousands of people whom you don't even know
> into a group of very small minded bunch of misfits that clearly don't have
> a life of their own and are forced to live vicariously through the
> fantacies of TV writers. Nothing could be further from the truth.
>
> While I'm not offended by your words, for I find your well spoken prose
> amusing, I know many would be. I have no doubt that what you've said about
> Shatner is nothing but the truth, saying that the fans are mindless morons
> was not very nice. It is your opinion, however misguided and tainted it
> may be and you're entitled to it. I just wanted you to know that myself
> and many others that I know have been Star Trek fans since I can
> remember. Although I've never gone to the place of wearing the ears or
> anything so drastically strange, I do still enjoy the original series and
> the new programs that it spawned in the decades since.
>
> And IMHO I'm NOT a dribbling moron who doesn't have the education of a
> rat, nor am I a blithering idiot with the IQ of a peice of lunch meat! My
> words...not yours. I'm merely paraphrasing your sentiments. I happen to be
> an educated professional in a field that requires an IQ much higher than
> that of anything Oscar Myer could produce.
>
> Sadly, for whatever reasons, you've managed to mean-spiritedly stereotype
> a vast segmant of american society into a place where YOU are comfortable
> that they are not a threat to you.
>
> THAT, my friend is the hallmark of a small mind. Predjudice is a symptom
> of fear and ignorance and eventually leaves a person alone and
> hopeless. America is a great place dispite her troubles.
>
> --
> Mark
>
> I love my Linux Box...
> REASON # 2 ...X-windows is just a suedonym.
> Registered Linux user # 1299563
>
> On Wed, 28 Jun 2000, F. E. Schaper wrote:
>
> > Ed,
> >
> > Yes that was an older skit on SNL in which William "Ego" Shatner was
> > speaking to a convention and used such pearls of wisdom as:
> >
> > "You...(pointing at a Spock-esque pointy eared John Lovitz) have you
ever
> > kissed a girl? Move out of your parents basement and get a life!"
> > "It's just a show...I only did it because I needed the money..I wasn't
even
> > the first choice for Kirk"
> > (the first Kirk was Jeffrey Hunter, who met with some very bad luck
shortly
> > after giving up the role that he felt was "unchallenging and insulting"
> > don't ask how I know this I don't like the show...quite the opposite in
> > fact)
> >
> > He was then reminded by the event organizer (played by the great Phil
> > Hartman) that he would no longer be wealthy without the support of these
> > people because he is in fact the worst actor (and singer and pitchman)
on
> > the face of the planet (and quite possibly of all time save for maybe
Pauly
> > Shore or Carrottop) and he had better be nice to them if he did not want
to
> > end up in a squat house...(which is what I think happened to Steve
Gutenberg
> > and Ralph Macchio)
> >
> > At which point he claimed he was merely re-enacting some older episode
in
> > which he was playing the "Evil Kirk" and was not himself.
> > Of course the "fans" bought it (what a shock!)
> >
> > It was quite funny....but then in my opinion anything that shows how
lame
> > that insipid show is and how brainless the hardcore fans of that show
are is
> > outstanding comedy, as well as social commentary.
> >
> > America is a sad place to be I am afraid.
> >
> > Ok Star Trek fans...let me have it.
> >
> > Fritz
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Ed Tharp <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2000 10:52 AM
> > Subject: Re: [newbie] Re: Fw: Linux
> >
> >
> > > wasn't it the clown who played Kirk (I forget his real name just now )
> > > who said at a stra trek convention "GET A LIFE"
> > >
> > > F. E. Schaper wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Tell the Star Trek freaks to move out of the basement, take off the
> > ears,
> > > > stop trying to learn to speak Klingon and join the rest of us in a
nice
> > > > place called: "Reality"....
> > > >
> > > > Better yet, don't....we don't need those clowns infecting the gene
pool.
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: John Arkoulis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > > > Cc: VanLUG <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > > > Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2000 3:39 AM
> > > > Subject: [newbie] Re: Fw: Linux
> > > >
> > > > > A couple of days ago I was surfing on the net and went on a Star
Trek
> > > > site. I
> > > > > liked what they had and out of good faith I sent them the message
<<
> > lets
> > > > port
> > > > > it to Linux>>
> > > > > I thought that the Linux community had an attitude but I was
wrong.
> > > > > This is the answer that I received.
> > > > > Now what would you answer to them??/
> > > > > I really do not like people that are that sarcastic especially to
> > someone
> > > > that
> > > > > they do not know.
> > > > > I would appreciate any ideas!!!
> > > > >
> > > > > On Tue, 27 Jun 2000, also sprach: > -----
> > > > > Original Message ----- > From: Richard Sliwa <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
> > To:
> > > > John
> > > > > Arkoulis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, June 26,
2000
> > 1:46
> > > > PM >
> > > > > Subject: Re: Linux >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > At 13:31 26/06/00 -0700, you wrote:
> > > > > > > >Come on guys. Lets port these great stuff over to Linux.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > To which particular flavour of Linux desktop environment do
you
> > want
> > > > us to
> > > > > > > port?
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > And just what "stuff" is it you want us to port? The only
material
> > on
> > > > our
> > > > > > > site which isn't directly relevant to Linux are the startup
> > screens
> > > > and
> > > > > > > desktop themes which are irrelevant anyway.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Anyway, why should *we* port it? We're part of the Windows
online
> > > > > > community
> > > > > > > (despite the fact that our server is actually running on
Linux -
> > > > Windoze
> > > > > > > just isn't up to it!), why can't the online Linux community do
> > > > something
> > > > > > > about it? After all, linux is meant to be the single largest
> > > > collaborative
> > > > > > > project going, isn't it?
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > And isn't Linux all about tinkering away oneself - why would
any
> > Linux
> > > > > > user
> > > > > > > want to rely on all our pre-compiled suff?
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > --
> > > > > > > Richard Sliwa
> > > > > > > Star Trek in Sound and Vision http://www.STinSV.com
> > > > > > > Boldly Going Where No Web Site Has Ever Gone Before
> > > > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > Windoze is a virus with a user interface.
> > > > > This message was created with Linux
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
