[KS] Re: An open letter to Epstein and other list members

[Ruediger Frank]

REPLY sends your message to the whole list
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>I was mortified by the observation, "boys seem very available," in the
>forwarded message, by a "Jack Body." 
>

Thank you very much indeed, since your message touches a point I also
had serious difficulties with - but was hesitant to express them since
the matter is a sensitive one and English is not my native language. My
thoughts also went in the direction, what a public outcry would have
occured, if "availability of men" would have been substituted by
"availability of women". The latter is sexistic, the other
funny/academic/tolerant/cool/not-meant-like-that/etc.???? Interesting
case of double standards.

I do not think that this represents the basic mood of the list, since in
that case, I would have quit long ago. And I do not think that it is the
task of the moderators to fine-tune the messages and to become censors
(imagine, they would have to read every message, check it according to
dozens of standards, later deal with the criticism by the offended
authors... illusoric and unneccessary), but OURS to voice our concerns
with such strange content. I think most of us agreed in the last weeks
that we definitely are not little kids in a classroom, so I am rather
sure we can handle this. 

Best,

Ru(e)diger

PS: I feel awfully sorry for those of my friends (quite a handful) who
are gay, since expressions like the above push them harshly back into
the category of "those with dirty sexual practices" and nothing else. It
took so long to come out of this dark corner and to be accepted as
complex personalities like all of us, not to be reduced just on their
sexual behaviour... 


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Ruediger FRANK
Humboldt-University Berlin
Korea Institute
Fon: +49-30-55 99 878
Fax: +49-30-2093-6666
e-mail: ruediger.frank at rz.hu-berlin.de
Web: http://www2.hu-berlin.de/korea
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