From: SXM101@psuvm.psu.edu (Steve Murray)
Newsgroups: alt.homosexual
Subject: Re: PSU
Date: 23 Nov 92 13:18:09 GMT
 <1992Nov22.204245.140105@zeus.calpoly.edu>
Organization: Penn State Anarchists
X-Subliminal-Message: You will never graduate.

In article <1992Nov22.204245.140105@zeus.calpoly.edu>, jkusters@zeus.calpoly.edu
(Chrome Jester) says:
>
><MGH110@psuvm.psu.edu> divulges:
>->Why bash an entire University for the ignorance of one or group of people?
>
>Well, you see, Mr. MGH110, it is simply because the highest rate of stupid
>ignorant posts on USENET comes from PSU.  I can't explain it, no-one I've
>met can explain it.  PSU just seems to breed a certain type of USENET
>poster.  It'd be nice if someone started bucking that trend...

Well, it's actually quite simple why the ignorance is so abundant here -
we're in the middle of nowhere.  This University is WASP heaven - it seems
to be about 90+% white hetereosexuals.  Any black man that doesn't look
like he's on the football or basketball team is regarded with suspicion.
The only gay bar in town is the source of constant jokes.  Almost anybody
you meet is practically exactly like you - white, straight, from somewhere
in Pennsylvania, and with almost exactly the same mentality.

The diversity here is a joke.  (Granted, the minorities on campus aren't
helping much either - I think trying to segregate yourself with Mr. and
Ms. Black Penn State, and the article last year in the university
newspaper where a columnist suggested that all black people arm themselves
and shoot any white people who give them trouble were and are *BIG*
mistakes.)  When your formative years are spent in a mostly white, mid-PA
high school and a mostly white, mid-PA college, you tend to form a very
strong "Us vs. Them" mentality - where "Them" is anybody different from
you - black, orientals, gays, etc.  Gays especially - almost no homo-
sexuals come out during high school, so the great majority of the
students here don't think they even *know* any gays when they start
college.  I myself didn't meet an "out" homosexual until my sophomore
year.  (Luckily, I already had a "live and let live" attitude by that
time.)

So when these clueless people finally get a computer account, they hear
of this really neat-o thing called "Netnews".  They start reading, and
*boom* they see alt.homosexual.  Immediately they think "Whoa!  Fags!"
And they think it would really be keen if they can post something
ignorant that they think is completely hilarious.  They have no faces
to deal with, nobody stopping them, and they don't think there will be
any repurcussions from it.  Would they do it in person?  No, probably
not - at least, not by themselves.

Luckily, PSU has realized this in the past few years, and PSUVM no
longer has access to any of the alt.sex.* groups or alt.flame
(these were the major sources of embarrassment a few years ago).
Unfortunately, we still have random idiots who find groups like
this and keep the reputation going.  Whee.

(Oh, btw - quite a few people reading this are probably wondering if
I'm gay or not.  Since I find it *incredibly* annoying to see "Well,
I'm *not* gay" written 40 times all over a 30 line post from anybody
at PSU, tough shit - you can sit there and wonder.)
--
Steve Murray  |  SXM101@psuvm.psu.edu  |  murr@dev-null.phys.psu.edu
Look at me can't you see / All I really want to be
Is free from a world / That hurt me - RHCP
Disclaimer: I don't speak for PSU or the CAC and they don't speak for me
Newsgroups: alt.homosexual