1248  Mail rape

Date: Wed, 7 May 2003 23:58:27 -0700
From: Carlos Lima <amilsolrac@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Mail rape

Concerning the private mail to and from Horacio Brito illegitimately
publicised on this list ...

I happen to know pretty well, or so I strongly believe, the person most
wronged, mostly by the villainous mail piracy perpetrated on this list---if
perhaps wronged not just by that. She is a wonderful young woman, and I will
have her know that nothing in those criminally publicized exchanges lessens
in the least my respect for her, and appreciation of her. I hope she gets the
same message from many others.

We may say, for the sake of argument, that she has made a mistake; one that
is far more common, it appears, than the vast majority of posters on this
list imagine. She at least suspected that all is not well in our tango
circles. Well, it is much better than she thought, not to mention what she
may think now. As this incident exemplifies, the narrow margin of badness has
been widening. I think I know why, but I will omit the gory detail.

While agreeing with the concerns and suggestions advanced by my friend Sarah
La Rocca in her posting of yesterday, I decline to judge Horacio upon the
available information. If this were a court of law, he would be presumed
innocent. Besides, this may or may not be a matter actually or figuratively
appropriate for a judgment of such kind, or for further punishment.

Thus far there is only one true villain, and that is the person who posted
the private correspondence. S/he may escape all due censure. Other punishment
may have been deserved to one extent or another, even if the only "crime" was
carelessness.

That leaves us with my young friend. She has had aspects of her private life
outrageously exposed by another person, against her will, while doing no
wrong whatsoever herself. Only a top caliber cra'pula would be so low as not
to care about this, regardless of the exact nature of the motivation to
assault Horacio and his mail partners. (Hard to believe that it could be
anything but extremely petty.)

Maybe the principle of inviolability of personal correspondence was not some
odd or arbitrary "liberal" invention after all, or a means to protect the
guilty. (And we have not even got yet to the idea of allowing the holders of
power to dip into our private exchanges so they can better "protect" us.)

Looking forward to better days,

Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 05:33:27 -0300
From: Mary Nicolas <marynicolas2000@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Mail rape.

I agree with Carlos in that I certainly hope that no one would think any
differently of or lose any respect for his friend that he said was wronged
by the villinous mail piracy. If the mails are in
fact authentic they can only confirm that generosity still exists today and
yes, his friend was victimized but it sounds like if anyone has wronged them
it was Horacio Brito by taking advantage of this persons' sincerity and good
intentions.

We all know that everyone makes mistakes and I don't know if I would even go
so far as Carlos said that his friend had made a mistake. To show compassion
for another human being is not a mistake. It's a pity that people exist only
to take advantage of truly kind people. Horacio is not the first tango
teacher with a shady reputation that has come from Argentina and he will
certainly not be the last. If anything the letters should teach us how to
look out for these characters in the future so we can protect each other in
the tango community.

Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 01:43:40 -0700
From: "Michel G. C." <Michel.COMBES@ASIM.LIP6.FR>
Subject: Re: Mail rape

Dear all,

No matter at what level of (il)legitimacy are theses "publicized" emails...
Please remember that it is just "electronic correspondence" pirated or not.
tampered or not.

I wish this will have no impact on Horacio and others life.

I have been myself victim of an "electronic-email-affair" too.
I still feel the bitter consequences of the incident,
as my soulmate never recover it

So this is full of compassion that I am writing this note,
for all the people cited in the correspondence.

I wish no-one got offended by the words in this series of emails ...
and if so please be forgiving and full of love, because real life is
away from the "computers", probably on the dancefloor and elsewere.

I would love that my personal experience will serve
such that Horacio or others will not have to undergo the consequences
of theses publicized emails...

Let the tango-community be compassionnate and grown-up such that we don't
fall into any of those "electronic-scam"...

and let's all be loving for the offended people... and be forgiving for the
offending people.

with love
M.

Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 00:41:50 -0600
From: Lynne Butler <lynneoaks@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Rape

I am in total agreement with those who object to using the word "rape" as a
metaphor for anything other than what it is. It trivializes a horror that
should never be trivialized--and sensationalizes experiences that-- tough as
they may be -- are simply nothing like rape. Words are not rape. Dances
are not rape. Rape is rape. There are several words in the English
language that need to be exactly and only what they are--rape is one,
lynching is another, there are more. The victims of these crimes deserve
better than this insult.