Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site denelcor.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!houxz!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!hao!denelcor!neal From: neal@denelcor.UUCP (Neal Weidenhofer) Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: Middle/Working class; response to N. Weidenhofer Message-ID: <531@denelcor.UUCP> Date: Sun, 19-Aug-84 13:26:32 EDT Article-I.D.: denelcor.531 Posted: Sun Aug 19 13:26:32 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 22-Aug-84 00:54:31 EDT References: <382@oddjob.UChicago.UUCP> Organization: Denelcor, Aurora, CO Lines: 74 ************************************************************************** >>> : D. London >> : N. Weidenhofer > : D. London : N. Weidenhofer >>> Most people on the net are middle class; most people in the States are >>> working class. >> One of the things that I think IS great about America is that, >> for the most part, these are the same class. >I have responded to him by mail, but this statement of his is so unbelievable >that I had to comment on it on the net. >> This has got to be one of the most stupid, near-sighted, close-minded, >unobservant statements that I have ever heard/read. James Baldwin (or Leroi >Jones, I don't remember which [if you don't know who they are, read!]) said, >"the purpose of blacks in american society is to define bottom". For N.W. to >sit at his computer, with his x-thousand dollar a year job, and say that, for >the most part, blacks (and hispanics and immigrant workers, etc.) have it >about as good as he does is totally unbelievable. I don't know why I expect >americans to know about other countries. If N.W. is at all representative, you >don't know much about your own! > David London > ..!ihnp4!oddjob!london Perhaps I'm not as well-read as I thought, I never realized that one had to be black, hispanic, or immigrant to qualify as a member of the working class. Are there any other qualifications that I've missed? (unemployed possibly?) Look nffubyr, I was born and grew up pretty damn close to the bottom myself (my dad usually had a job and some of them even lasted for several years--all of them involved a good deal of labor and none of them paid more than a few hundred dollars/month). What I've achieved, I've worked for. Yes, my job pays reasonably well; I also worked to develop the skills to get it and I'm still working, both to accomplish the tasks I'm being paid for and to continue developing my skills, in order to keep it. If your definition of "working class" has any connection at all with "working", you'll see whi I think I and most of the American middle class qualify. Before anyone misunderstands the previous paragraph, let me point out two things: 1. It's my perceptiuon at least that nearly everyone on the net can make the same claims. 2. I wouldn't have it any other way. One final point, quoting from your original article: >If you want to flame me, let's have some intelligent arguments. (Actually, I >welcome flames saying "If you don't like it, leave". They just support (4), >(5), (6) and (7).) I think your response to me shows you up for the hypocritical *ssh*le you are. If you want to continue this discussion on a more intelligent level, either by mail (I haven't received your message yet by the way) or on the net, I'm still willing. Regards, Neal Weidenhofer "Nothin' ain't worth nothin' Denelcor, Inc. but it's free" !denelcor!neal