"Level of Discussion"

[tim.iles at utoronto.ca]

>I joined this list because I thought I would read some interesting 
comments about the films I see here from time to time, but this level of 
discussion is not what I was expecting.

>Good bye

>Andrzej Kozlowski

Indeed, good-bye to you--after all, your hopes for this list are perhaps
overly ambitious. This is _not_ a forum for solving the political problems
of the world in simple terms. No such forum exists, least of all in one
devoted to Japanese cinema. This is, moreover, CERTAINLY NOT the time for
even attempting to solve the world's problems through academic
debate--this is an emotional time in which judgements are clouded by
shock--real, justifiable, horrible shock. NONE OF US here should be
comparing the scope of tragedies, or trying to lay blame for this event
until far more facts are available (through the filtre of the media, as
the case may be), and even then only with a clear sense of the hazards of
laying blame firmly in mind.

And please remember that of all the factors which _may_ be responsible for
this tragedy, the one that is _surely_ responsible is the self-indulgent
attitude that "My tragedy is greater than yours, the suffering of _my_
people is more profound"! There are no separate peoples of the world--only
_people_ of the world, who ALL suffer.

This is a time to reflect in silence. Please return more respect to this
thread.


Timothy Iles