Newsgroups: sci.lang
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From: lilandbr@scn.org (Leland Bryant Ross)
Subject: Re: Esperantoist Propeganda (lies)?
Message-ID: <E70J8o.87C@scn.org>
Sender: news@scn.org
Reply-To: lilandbr@scn.org (Leland Bryant Ross)
Organization: Seattle Community Network
References: <332b35fd.1310734@news.mindspring.com> <5g3ug1$2kvm@news.doit.wisc.edu> <33299d46.3534031@news.mindspring.com> <3326E2C0.205D@lonnds.ml.com> <5g95a0$47lq@news.doit.wisc.edu>
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 03:05:11 GMT
Lines: 49


In a previous article, dgary@mindspring.com (D Gary Grady) says:

>rcmolden@students.wisc.edu (Robert Moldenhauer) wrote:
>
>>The whole thing boils down to credability, if members of a group, such 
>>as the BEL, pick up unverified stories off the internet and then use 
>>them to support their cause, and then they prove false, it makes them 
>>look like a bunch of liars.
>
>You're absolutely right, of course. Unfortunately, there is a strong
>human tendency toward the uncritical acceptance of alleged "facts"
>that support one's own preconceptions. This behavior can be seen on
>almost every side of almost every issue.

Perhaps (though I doubt it) this kind of uncritical acceptance of alleged 
facts will become less prevalent in the face of the Internet.

The Seattle Times, yesterday or the day before, reported on the TWA thing 
under the headline

REPORT MISSILE HIT PLANE INACCURATE, SAY AUTHORITIES

I imagine the authorities actually wanted to say the report was 
"incorrect" or "wrong".  The headline as written, however, suggests that 
they were implying

MISSILE DID NOT HIT PLANE, ONLY SPOOKED IT, AUTHORITIES SAY

or 

PLANE HIT BY ROCKET, NOT MISSILE

or some such.  Who knows what new "facts" such misreporting or miswording 
even in "the legitimate press" may spawn...  In a major article on 
Esperanto that appeared in the Seattle Times a year or two ago, one of 
our better known Seattle Esperantists, who has actually had her plays 
produced in the International Language, was quoted as saying Esperanto 
was the only hope for world peace.  She may be a kook (I don't think she 
reads sci.lang :-(,) but she's a beloved and published kook...  But those 
who base their hotly held opinions of social groups (Esperantists, 
Greeks, Mormons, whatever) on their experience with one or two obnoxious 
members of the group should be warned that *every* social grouping of 
human beings contains a few obnoxious members.
--
Liland Brajant ROS' / Leland B. ROSS - Delegito de UEA  en Seatlo, Usono
204 N 39th St (aux PO Box 30091)        Hejmo de Mikrosofto kaj Boeingo
Seattle, WA 98103 Usono/E'tats-Unis     Nirvano kaj la Universa Centro!
Tel. (1-206)633-2434  *  Seatla Esperanto-Societo bonvenigas vin vizite!
