Apologies to GeorgeH

Subject: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: GUEST,Anthony
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 04:49 PM

Dear Mudcatters,

A few days ago, during a longish thread on Politics and Folk Music, I submitted a rather angry post to GeorgeH accusing him of all sorts of vile behavior.

Having had a while to cool off, I just wanted to take a moment to apologize, both to George personally and to anyone else who may have found my remarks vengeful or mean-spirited.

I will add only that I still think one needs to be very careful about categorizing anyone – regardless of their political stripe – as racist or homophobic or mysogynistic or anti-semitic simply because they belong to some specific party or group. There are, after all, many American Republicans who respect Bill Bradley but revile Jerry Falwell, just as there are a lot of liberal-leaning Democrats who oppose abortion and school busing.

That said, I want to repeat that my earlier remarks were indeed "over the top," and I am sincerely sorry for any hard feelings they may have caused.

This is a great site, and I look forward to participating in many more spirited Mudcat conversations to come!

Sincerely, Anthony Brown

Subject: RE: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: Hollowfox
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 04:57 PM

It's a brave thing to post this; I commend you for it.

Subject: RE: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 06:36 PM

I came late to the thread because of a few days' holiday and didn't want to revive it, but I was grateful to George for putting (more or less) my point of view - although a lot more mischievously than I would have done, I suspect. I did think your remarks RATHER over the top, Anthony, but we all have our bad days, and a handsome apology deserves to be met in kind. Thank you, and I hope you'll keep posting!
I know (because he told me) it wasn't one of George's best days either. I'll let him know of this thread - he is so busy at the moment he has little time to look in on the Mudcat and may miss it otherwise.
Cheers, Susanne

Subject: RE: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: catspaw49
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 06:47 PM

Agreeing to disagree and the sometimes harsh words that come out of some of the debates are both a part of the 'Cat. As I followed the thread, I remember thinking, "Well, this could get nasty." It did, but it came back within the thread to a respect that only those with maturity and strong convictions can share.

I'm glad to see how you now feel Anthony, but even then, I thought things had gained a "level ground." I'm happy you're still among us and your strong opinions on any issue are welcome here....as are you! Lots of good music and fun threads that sometimes take the edge off and allow us all to become better acquainted are often dismissed as trivial BS, but they're not. Sometimes they just allow us to no more of the other person and then when they're "having one of those days" it is easier to understand. Thanks for your post!

Spaw

Subject: RE: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 07:34 PM

Thanks Anthony. This is the kind of thing that helps get us back on an even keel after a few nasty episodes.

I commented on the post, and I'm glad to see that rather than escalate this little spat has resolved itself.

You're quite right too about it being wrong to assume that just because you know someone's views on some things you know them on others. You can get far right Tories in England who are opposed to blood sports and capital punishment, or who believe in legalising dope. You get people on the far left who are opposed to abortion. Life's just a lot more complicated than people who want to put us in neat categories would like it to be.

Subject: RE: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: catspaw49
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 07:37 PM

..."no more"????????...........gawd, I gotta' pruffreed better........

......."know more of the other person"...........

...like the fact they often don't prooooofreeeeedt.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: GUEST, The Thread Watcher
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 07:45 PM

What the hell are you apologizing to that bollocks for?
I noticed that he didn't qualify any of his statements, or come back and perhaps admit that he might have been a little general in HIS comments!
Don't let your newness to the forum (if such is the case) make you any less forthright in saying what you feel.
I don't like the idea of guns - so I couldn't agree with everything you said in the afore-mentioned thread.
That wouldn't lead me to attack you the way he did.

Please notice the tendency of your average right-winger to be the one with the most vitriol. The leftists tend to be the more reasoning bunch.

You are a gentleman.
You apologized gracefully for something you had absolutely no need to apologize for.

Subject: RE: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 08:11 PM

I am just wondering do these public apology threads do any good? I am not knocking anybody's willingness to apologise but surely these are best confined to the people and or threads concerned.

The way I see it, in the past week, one person alerted everbody to something (that was not important anyway) that occurred between about 8 people. I for one have been made aware of something that occured in a thread that I had not read and I still don't even understand the wet blanket one.

Jon

Subject: RE: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: GUEST, The Thread Watcher
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 08:16 PM

You will find, Jon, that there are some around here who want to alert the world as to their goings on.
As for the 'wet blanket' thing - that should be an ongoing apology

Subject: RE: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 08:39 PM

Jon, sometimes when people feel so badly about something they posted, it may be important for them to let everyone know how terrible they are feeling about it.
They don't know who has and has not read their posting.
If it were me and I felt badly about something I posted, I would probably think every Mudcatter and their mother has read what I regretfully wrote.
Maybe it is not necessary for people to feel badly about something they wrote but the fact is, they do.
The support around here is incredible. Comforting and reassuring others when they are worried and questioning themselves.

Little Neo

Subject: RE: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: Amos
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 08:47 PM

Tolerance in all things, even in intolerance, is sort of a watchword around here. Even the Gargoyles defamations, almost, although he intentionally pushes them past the line.

Subject: RE: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: InOBU
Date: 29 Mar 00 - 08:19 AM

I may be missing something, but, did you refer to GeorgeH as a rightwinger? He and I are quiet far appart on the politics of Ireland, however, I would say he is a fellow lefty on most everything else, not to speak for you, George old man, Bye the way, Where is George, still on holiday?
Good man yourself Tony
Larry

Subject: RE: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: alison
Date: 29 Mar 00 - 08:38 AM

I wasn't even aware that anything had happened.. but now it has been pointed out I'm sure I'll go and have a look to see what its about, same as everyone else whose attention has been drawn to it....

Anthony this next bit isn't aimed specifically at you.....

if anyone has a grievance with someone, or wants to do the "I think you're great don't you think I'm great too?" stuff.. why not take it into the personal messages, or ICQ then you can sort it out without everyone else having to know your business.

Sorry to rant, but there has been a lot of this sort of thing going on recently......

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Apologies to GeorgeH
From: GeorgeH
Date: 30 Mar 00 - 04:42 AM

Since I haven't read Athony's diatribe against me, this is a little difficult for me to comment on. But even so it is ENTIRELY appropriate for me to thank him for the sentiment, and send him my best wishes in turn.

As skw correctly discerns, my post was more than a little mischevious . . but I didn't intend to categorise any individual as "racist or homophobic or mysogynistic or anti-semitic"; I'm sorry if my post appeared to suggest otherwise. [However, and despite that, if anyone choses to join a party (or group) which has such associations then I don't think they have any grounds for complaint if others associate them with those views. Perhaps that's why CND is the only overtly political organisation I've ever joined, and that was always (and contrary to almost all press reporting) a very broad camp)].

As for thread watcher - if you think I give a damn for your incohent ramblings - you're wrong! Of course my post was generalised - so is just about everything written in Mucat BS ramblings. There's nothing in what I wrote I have ANY intention of apologising for, though I'm more than happy to clarify the limits of what I wrote; i.e. that I was not accusing any individual of any specific evil attribute, beyond lack of logic (hardly evil, I'd have thought).

G.