X-Message-Number: 20335
Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 16:32:37 -0700
From: "John Grigg" <>
Subject: misunderstandings, and hope for the future...

Basie wrote:
Also remember the Nazis not only exterminated Jews but retards as 
well. They started with retards. It is a small step from the one 

to the other. If John Grig replaced every word in his posting with Jew he would 
be a great Nazi.
(end)


I also have heard the Nazi's started with the mass murder of the mentally 
retarded and later on went after other groups.


Basie, what I don't understand is your comment "if John Grig[g]  replaced every 
word in his posting with Jew *he* would be a great Nazi."  Why the heck would 
*I* be a great Nazi???  I'm the one here trying to defend the mentally 
challenged! LOL  


I get the feeling you really misunderstood my post.  Is English your native 
language?  I'm simply curious.  

Mike Perry wrote:
It didn't occur to me that this word would be offensive when I used it 
(pluralized) in a subject header; sorry if it was. Words are slippery, and 
they can lead to unfortunate stereotyping and misunderstandings, but that 
seems an unavoidable feature of language. 
(end)

Knowing you as I do, I certainly realized no harm was meant.

you continued:
Call it what you will, the condition itself is the real problem, which, of 
course, is no reflection on the unfortunate victims. (And I realize the 
"victims" may be happy, productive, talented, endearing, and so on, to 
varying degrees, but most would still agree, I think, that the condition is 
a disability we would like to cure.) Nature's at fault in this 
(metaphorically speaking) as in many other things we hope to correct 
someday. I don't view the imperfect world or its antecedents as simply 
"wrong" or deserving of a grudge--not at all. But having and outgrowing our 
limitations (or in some cases discovering their proper place?) is part of 
our developmental process, one we can look forward to, if the future turns 
out as we'd like.
(end)


Mike, once again you state things beautifully.  I hope both of us can get on 
with our developmental evolution to become the people we ultimately want to be. 
: )

best wishes,

John Grigg
      
     
     
         






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