Post to Danny Yee

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Public appology
Since the post I sent to Danny Yee, as well as the posts on employment
seem to have offended . . . I offer a public mea culpa for allowing a flame
war to take shape.
I extend public and personal regrets to Danny Yee, acknowledge that I
was wrong in making such a post to the Anthro-L list. It should not have
been said, regardless of what level of emotional response was elicited from
Mr. Yee's comments about people believing that they were owed an income.
I do not agree with Mr. Yee, but that is not an excuse for flaming
Mr. Yee as strongly as I did. If this has caused Mr. Yee or any individual
to withdraw from Anthro-l in protest or equally strong emotional reaction,
I would ask them to return with the assurance that such a flame will not
be repeated.
I would also remind that the original post on `trial by combat' was
placed in humour, and because we are involved in what is obviously a
heated and emotion filled topic that is polarizing . . . it has gone too
far.
In regrads to one single comment from Oregon, yes . . . correct
spelling is vital . . . and NO . . . these topics can no longer be
hidden in backroom discussions . . . they are of international importance
and discussion. The topic of employment under multi-culturalism and
downsizing will be the topic of the next North Central Sociological
Association annual meetings; that reflects how serious the issues are
considered to be in the academic professions.
Re: the second comment, "Do I think that such posts should not be made
because they may be read by people worldwide that might provide a job?" I
no longer hold to that concept. It translates to required subservience
in the discipline, and an acceptance of power politics . . . the question
can well be rephrased as "Don't you think you should play the power game
and cozzy up to those with status, position and power, so that you too can
get some status, position and power?" My answer is no, because the issue
of downsizing and the profession of scholarship should be of far greater
importance than the single issue of playing power and status politics.
Again, I extend public regrets at being as harsh to Mr. Yee as my
post was under the circumstances, and accept full responsibility for
posting in a quite unprofessional manner.

John O'Brien

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