I've been scolded by two persons now for my "Buddha can you spare a dime" joke re: Al Gore, which included implications of Asian-stereotyping. I sincerely regret offending any Buddhists or Asians who may have seen this, but I also think it is possible to be over-sensitive about this stuff and I think this is one of those times. I also shudder to think about the political implications of such a posture, since over-sensitivity tends to backfire and legitimate truly bigoted speech and elevate truly conservative critics of such a position. It reinforces the cultural isolation of the left. I hate to lose any friends over this, assuming I have any to begin with, but I'd rather have a few less friends and live in the world I'm trying to change than dissolve into identity-politics ether. Like Al Gore, I want to be receptive to all denominations -- tens, fifties, hundreds, etc. Cheers, MBS =================================================== Max B. Sawicky Economic Policy Institute [EMAIL PROTECTED] 1660 L Street, NW 202-775-8810 (voice) Ste. 1200 202-775-0819 (fax) Washington, DC 20036 http://tap.epn.org/sawicky Opinions above do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone associated with the Economic Policy Institute other than this writer. ===================================================
