Theos-Talk Archives (November 1996 Message tl00555)

Richard Ihle writes-->
>Alan, jump in on my side against Kym and I'll join. . . .

Alan writes-->
Huh?  What a strange suggestion. It has nothing to do with the point I am
trying to make above.  I cannot have failed to notice that you are having a
discussion/debate with Kym, but it has seemed to be reasonably civilised to
me - but now you are
talking of "taking sides."  If you really mean this, then I suspect she has
more right on hers, and that suggestions of "attitude" on your part might
have some foundation in fact.

R.I.-->
Alan, please put a HOLD on my sign-up order while I do some deeper
soul-searching on any possible attitudes I have which may not be consonant
with TI's statements of purpose etc.  I thought I agreed with them all, but
who knows?

Certainly, the "jump in on my side" was meant humorously and merely trying to
play off of Kym's earlier semi-remonstrations to the other women on the list
for not jumping into the gender-fray more vigorously (with the guy who left
with a rash and a pierced testicle)--as if one twitch of the clit and the
women were supposed to form-up behind her like a Roman legion. . . .

--See!  I probably just did it again with the "clit" remark:  On the surface
it may just look like I am willing to follow her lead to whatever level of
informality (Yo! Richard) or body part she wants to descend to; however,
beneath the surface it may be indicative of some far deeper attitude problem
on my part which needs to be corrected.

However, one attitude I know I have but for sure won't change and that is
that I hate bullies, especially ones who make their special prey other people
who are less aggressive and more polite than they are.  In my opinion the
history of Theos-l is nothing if not the continuing record of the driving-off
of the more meek and courteous.  Many of these people had much to offer; more
than a few left, I believe, not because they were intellectually or
theosophically inferior, but simply because they were unwilling to "do what
was necessary" to win arguments here.

So anyway, I brought up the ~brotherhood~ discussion again because I honestly
felt that there may be something hidden within this illogical language
situation (in particular, why it was not challenged for so long by
egalitarians of both genders) which could reveal something about
"psychogenetics" (the progessive maturation of the incarnation-embrangled "I
AM.")  The result, unfortunately, was not a stuffy, pleasant-to-a-few,
theosophical discussion or a request to explain myself further, but rather, a
"plug-and-play," pre-formatted, extended accusation of "sexism (or maybe
worse)"

At this point I had a choice to make:  1) drop the subject because it might
get messy, knowing from Kym's previous writing that she more or less gives
herself permission to say what she wants (and there is a picture of me
floating around somewhere which she might sooner or later make a comentary
on), or 2) hang in there and "do what was necessary" (the ~Duh!'s-plus-one).

Now, you can judge for youself by my writing conduct of the last couple
years:  my normal course of action would have been choice #1 for sure.  Want
to know what made me go for #2?  I hesitate to tell you because it is
something seemingly unrelated and may get me in even hotter water with the
rest of the list:  I was bothered by the big "gang-up" on Patrick for his
"Purpose of Sex" position.  Here is another gentle-sounding guy, or at least
he seems so to me, who has the misfortune of having an unpopular point of
view.  While I don't agree with him either, there is something troubling
about seeing so many people all on his case at the same time.  I thought to
myself, "Richard, go ahead with this Kym thing, and maybe it will divert a
few people."

So I did.

Well, Alan, I gave up long ago the notion that I could make myself understood
on theosophical subjects, so I am not dismayed on that score.  Today,
however, I cross a much more lamentable threshold:  the realization that even
my jokes are becoming unrecognizable.  I am the twighlight Richard Ihle for
sure. . . .

Godspeed. . . .