From: aj834@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Scott A. Maehner)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.books
Subject: Re: SF + PC
Date: 4 Jan 1993 08:42:26 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: aj834@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Scott A. Maehner)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu



In a previous article, curtis@cs.berkeley.edu (Curtis Yarvin) says:

>In article <1i7ntuINNj2c@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> aj834@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Scott A. Maehner) writes:
>>
>>>>In some cases, this will mean a student reads nothing but Harlequin romance
>>>>novels or you-can-hear-the-dice-roll fantasy RPG novelizations the whole
>>>>time they are in school.
>>>
>>>That's right.  And if that's what they like, so what?  Or are you
>>>prepared to say that you know their tastes better than they?
>
>>I thought that at least one of things education should do is expose people
>>to ideas and things new to them...whether it's Shakespeare, Maya Angelou or
>>SF from other countries.  How does someone knows what they like or don't
>>like in literature unless they try a few experimental bites off of the buffet
>>platter of education and see what takes?
>
>Precisely; but make sure your buffet platter holds something besides caviar.
>Why force a Cheez Whiz fan to eat beluga?  If he's the sort of fellow
>who eats little black things without knowledge of their pedigree, then
>that's fine; and if he ain't, well, he probably knows better than you
>what he likes.

Because humanity does not live on Cheez Whiz alone?  Or caviar for that
matter.  Of course, this is where the horse to water analogy comes into
play.  A closed mind will tend to remain closed.  No one can force you to
read or eat what you don't want to...you have a choice, or at least an
alternative.  Even if it's your neighbor's garbage, or nothing at all.  
And to use your analogy, why go to a fancy place to eat, when you'd be
happier with your home cooking...no one is of course, forcing you to eat
anything you don't want to.

Someone may know what they like, but does that mean they fear to try
something else because (horrors!) it might be good for them, or they might
like it?  Are you afraid of trying something because you might dislike it
still after you've tried it?

>>>If a person pays $20,000 to attend classes for the sole purpose of
>>>enjoying himself, is it honest to give him anything other than what
>>>he wants?
>>
>>A person can buy all the books that person wants to with $20,000, and
>>not have to go thru the bother or expense of getting an education.
>
>Well, not in our society, unfortunately.

*shrug*  I humbly disagree.  But I won't ask how you chew and digest your
literature.  Or how expensive your taste in books would be if you had
$20,000 to throw around exclusively for books.  My point was that you
needn't go through the pomp and circumstance of college if you just want to
enjoy yourself.  Just spend the money on books if "the sole purpose of
enjoyment" (paraphrase) is your goal.  Easy enough. 

Of course, if you want something, like a degree, you must go out and earn
it, by doing what it takes to satisfy the requirements.  But you don't
_have_ to have a degree, any more than you have to read what you don't want
to, or eat what you don't want to.  You'll probably find a way to make do
without the degree, and with your Cheeze Whiz.  Bon appetite', Curtis.
-- 
                    aj834@cleveland.freenet.edu
      I live in Iowa...I only go to Ohio daily for my e-mail.
           "Look, would it save you all this bother
             if I just gave up and went mad now?"