From: lawbkwn@buacca.BITNET (Yaakov HaMizrachi)
Subject: Basic Courtesy
Organization: The Internet
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 18:49:14 GMT


Unto all who read these words, most especially
My Lord Hossein and My Lord Stephen of the Grove,
greetings from Yaakov.

It pains me to take issue with such illustrious,
learned, and honorable men. But, as the Torah
commands us, 'Do not stand by the blood of your
neighbor.'  Therefore do I rise in defense of
Christian Von Juaregg and his filk-post.

My Lords, You say then that you are blunt,
and that as your words are true thy blutness]
is to your praise.  Perhaps, but was not Korach
also blunt, when he chastised Moses and Aaron?
To state the most basic rule of courtesy (on
one foot), it is as our Master Hillel (blessed is
the memory of the righteous) says: Do not do unto
others that which is hateful to you.

Ah, but perhaps you will say: I crave bluntness,
therefore will I be blunt. Moreh d'Avraham!
That is not what our Master meant in his text.
Rather thanthe specific act think of the feeling
you inflict with your words.  Would you like to be
humiliated before your peers?  Have you artistic
works spat upon in public?  I think not.  Had you
wished to offer correction, you might have used
a private communication.

Now, having stated the general rule, let us
move to the specific case.  Christian Von Jauregg
be a worthy story teller and a beginning bard.
Though cursed with inexperience and youth, I have
heard it said that many good bards have overcome
such handicaps.  Now, it is my great good fortune
to live in the same barony as this man, and to
have had his assistance in running a recent event.
(About which he posted another poem, the Bunny Shoot
of Chant Au Bois, that I trust did not so offend
you)  Now, at this event, I allowed my van, Nimbob
(a might van before the Lord), aka Bob to be used
as a workhorse/shuttle. (For which endeavour I
paid with my break system, which broke under
the strain.)  Christian, who used the van often
in his duties, did write this paen of
praise to it.
Now, admittedly, this may seem of little more than
local interest, and so perhaps he might be
faulted for posting to the world.  But this
was not -if I perceive aright- your complaint.
You did protest the very essence, the very nature
of the poem. Nay, you made it plain to all that it
was an affront to your most basic senses, as it
should be to all right thinking and civilized
peoples.
But why did this song so rouse your ire.
Hossein speaks of a 'crusade against filk'
with Stephen as Captian and Standard bearer.
Yet why do you regard it as so evil?  Perhaps
one small item escaped you. Look around lords.
This be no event, no campground, not even
a post revel. THIS IS A COMPUTER SCREEN AND YOU
ARE READING IT WITH AN OPP DEVICE!  How, then,
do Christian's words break thy mood?  Surely we
shall not all be in persona in our posts,
else we had all (save, perhaps, the learned
Dr Pergrinus) cease at once.  Nor did Christian
ever sing this song at an event. Nor, as far as I
can tell, did he ever intend to do so.  It
was but a passing fancy, shared with us in
innocent joy and fallen as first victim to
your new 'crusade.'  So, since you cannot be
objecting to filk at *events* (for this was
not one) I can but conclude that you must object'
to filk itself.  And so, again, I ask you,
as the song is not at an event, and deals with
SCA (albiet local) matters, what strikes
you as so evil that you must trounce on a young
man's creative work and hold him up to ridicule?

So, I say you sirs, be not as the follows of Korach,
but as the followers of Aaron, who, our sages of
blessed memory tell us, ever strove for peace with
his fellows.

In service,
Yaakov