From: altar@beaufort.sfu.ca (Ted Wayn Altar)
Subject: Re: Holier Than Thow (was: Rich & Michael)
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 18:30:40 GMT

Tiffany Frazier writes:

>Ted Wayn Altar (altar@beaufort.sfu.ca) wrote:

This might be a bit confusing since it would here appear that I
wrote what immediately follows when in fact it is Tom Christiansen words.
Ok, I'll add the writers names above the quoted passages:

Tom Christiansen writes:
>: >MacDougal, whose only flesh intake is the occasional Thanksgiving turkey
>: >and that not even annually, explicitly states that he is NOT a vegetarian.  
>: >He wants to distance himself from the zealots who will be berating someone
>:     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>: >who is anything less then their pet idea of perfect, and I understand.
>: > . . .

Ted Altar replies:
>: Do you have access to some privilege information about the underlying
>: motives of MacDougal?  Can you provide a quote to substantiate this
>: claim?  I think we should all strive responsibly back up our claims,
>: especially whenever an invidious or defamatory attibutions about a 
>: particular person or group is being made.
>: 

Tiffany Frazier responds:
>Since I happen to have the book here in my office (really should take it
>back home one of these days)... In _The McDougall Program_ p. 140 under
>"Are McDougall Dieters Vegetarians?" he says:

 >"In my early years, I never liked to be called names.  The word vegetarian
 >(it.) has meanings in our society beyond describing a person who avoids
 >eating meat.  Many uninformed (and uncharitable) people consider
 >vegetarians to be slightly mad, part of the radical fringe.  Those
 >close-minded people are prejudiced, of course.  To escape having this
 >vegetarian label pinned on me, I have made a point of having roast
 >turkey on Thanksgiving Day, and sometimes on Christmas, too.  Needless
 >to say, I advertise this as evidence of being 'normal', and therefore
 >'thoroughly American'."


Thank you very much for the relevant passage.  It is interesting
to note that Tom Christiansen has apparently read McDougall
INCORRECTLY.

Tom claimed in his earlier post that McDougall wanted to
distance himself from the "fanatic" vegetarians when in fact,
as indicated by the quote above, McDougall simply
wants to distance himself from the misuse of the word,
"vegetarian", by those "uninformed and uncharitable" and
"close-minded people" who are so "prejudiced" that vegetarians in
their mind are to be considered "slightly mad" and part of the 
"radical fringe".  This is quite the opposite of what Tom
Christiansen would have us believe.  

If such basic reading errors occur with the printed page, then
we should not be surprised that even worst errors occur when
reading some CRT postings on the net.  All the more reason why we
ALL should be careful to diligently document our claims and statements
with choice citations and direct quotes, especially when making 
those critical remarks towards a particular person or group of
people.
                                         
                                            ted
 

Newsgroups: rec.food.veg,ont.events,tor.general