Email to the Editor
by Bob McIntyre
Hi Les,
This email is a request for you to remove all references to me, pictorial and otherwise, from the June, 2007 newsletter. I believe I have the legal power to demand that this be done. Please see below for the reason I am taking this action.
I want to be disassociated with the 'Webman' article in the June, 2007 newsletter, and will take rather drastic steps to achieve this disassociation. The study, reported by Scientific American at the URL copied below, should explain my primary concern with this 'Webman' strip.
Those who bother to read the above referenced article will note that babies of only 4 months old have the capability of visually discerning the difference when a video of a person speaking one language is changed for a video of a person speaking a different language. This capability is lost if only one language is spoken during the next several months, because there is no reinforcement of the capability, but this scenario points out the power of the human mind to absorb, and possibly retain, a twisted concept of events the child cannot comprehend as being impossible, or wrong, or antisocial, or dangerous.
Following this 'primer', the pre-school child is likely exposed to broadcasts such as the Looney Toons series, which have been with us for decades; a fine reinforcement for a developing mind. Psychologists have shown a relationship between the 'dead, but not really dead' situations of animal characters in these series and the "bang, bang, you're dead" exclamations of youngsters in play. This has, at times led to actual human death due to children playing with deadly weapons, which we read about in the news.
Since we generally cannot experience for ourselves problems in the making, from such innocuous appearing antics depicted in Looney Toons and such, it is much easier to just ignore the situation. Well, we were raised with Looney Toons, et al, so we, except for some psychologists and psychiatrists, don't have a problem with them. Sure, these are only animals getting wiped out, and miraculously surviving, but the human depicted in 'Webman' manages to survive certain death, and we don't expect a pre-school child not to have some remnant of 'dead, but still alive' tucked away in his subconscious mind? This goes beyond the pale.
Following the 'primer' and the 'reinforcement', children are fed via TV a visual and sonic programming fiesta of human slaughtering human, ad infinitum; and many adults cannot accept this to be a primary cause of the vicious behaviour of so many teenagers and young adults.
My intent stated here is to cause the 'Webman' strip to be removed from the June, 2007 newsletter and I hope at least three more of the executive will support me in this effort so that it will be done. At least I expect to be disassociated with this strip by May 26, 2007, or I will consider measures more drastic than this email. If, by May 27, 2007, I am not disassociated with the 'Webman' strip and/or it is removed from the June, 2007 newsletter, I will earn the title 'Drastic Mac'.
I expect to be at the clubhouse later today, in the event there is some flack to catch.
Bob McIntyre,
VP Big Blue and Cousins
I am glad to see that the Webman survived to protect us from the big bad Virusman. Due to his status as a senior he is not as quick on his feet and gets banged up a lot more than a younger hero might, but he makes up for it with his tongue-in-cheek humour. Regarding the member who does not wish to be associated with this feature, I have designed an alternate avatar for the missing Newsletter image, if you need one...
Long live Webman!
Karin Lindewall
I find Webman a refreshing approach to the world of computers and their problems and possible solutions. We all know a 'soft landing' is better than a 'hard' crash.
Webman is certainly not ready for the Matrix, or to take on Wonder Woman, who remains my personal favourite, but as in all serial publications, It is Never Over, so we wait to see what will happen next. And to Grant, keep up the good work, and keep those creative juices flowing.
Waiting for the next edition.
Ann Fleming
