Richard M. Perry <76461.2737@compuserve.com> asks:
> FWIW, every time I show that post to anyone who hasn't seen the
> show, I get the response, "What show is this? When is it on?

Thanks. I will confess I go back and forth about getting into
this kind of conversation on the nets; either way, it will have an
effect on how people perceive the show. And, basically, I'm here to
talk about the show, and be responsive to questions, not necessarily to
put my beliefs, attitudes or prejudices out there in other people's
faces. I'm not what matters here, I'm not terribly interesting...it's
the show, and those two can't ever be allowed to get confused. I was
kicking myself for days for allowing myself to get dragged into this
(and it's nobody's fault but my own that it happened). It's not really
my place to go around lecturing anyone or spouting off to anyone about
what they believe, and a few times, when the debate got really warmed
up, I did that.

What I do or don't believe is fundamentally irrelevant to the
discussion, as long as I can keep it out of the show. (The one area
where it does get through that you note -- the importance of life and
the right to choose one's own road through that -- is there, granted,
but there aren't a whole lot of reasonable counter-arguments to that
one.)

Because I make this show, I have -- for lack of a better phrase
-- a platform from which to spout off. People tend to at least note
what I say, even though most of it is rather silly, though I don't for
a second buy into the notion that people are overmuch influenced by
anything I say here. Particularly those on-line, who tend to be a
fairly hardy bunch, intellectually speaking. But there's still an
obligation not to misuse or abuse that platform, or take advantage of
it to spout notions that don't really touch the show per se at any two
contiguous points.

In short...sometimes I say more than I should, and should learn
to just Shut Up once in a while. If this time out the discussion has
done some good, then that's great. But I still think some days I
shouldn't have allowed it to happen. If somebody wants to take a pot
shot at my beliefs, let 'em. It's only pixels.

jms