No subject

[Bob French]

If one were to simply effect a count of the responses to Ms.
Peggy Jennings' lambasting of the limericks posted recently on
connectionists, one might conclude that there is significant
support of her view.  I believe this is wrong.  I think it
probable that that those who disagree with her have simply kept
their mouths shut for fear of being branded as sexist for their
disagreement.  Allow me to buck that trend.

I wish to speak on behalf of Mike Gasser (author of the Offending 
Limerick) and Dave Chalmers (one of the organizers of the Offending 
Contest in which the Offending Limerick was read and responsible
for posting It to the net), both of whom are good friends of mine.  
Each of them is absolutely aware, in theory and in practice, in 
their speech and in their writings of the issues of sexism, sexist 
language, etc. and it pains me to see the inflammatory remarks of 
the Oregon connectionist directed at them.  Stauncher supporters 
of women in science than Mike and Dave you would be very hard 
pressed to find.

I feel that a Ms. Jennings' comments were an over-reaction 
verging on paranoia ("men are connectionists and women are 
whores").  While one might argue that the limerick about the 
Boltzman machine might have been mildly offensive because of its 
use of an apparently proscribed word ("whore"), under no 
circumstances did it merit such an extremely virulent response.  
I personally thought the limerick in question was funny and, 
judging by the reaction of the audience of men AND WOMEN at 
the ConnectFest here in Bloomington, so did they.  And, no, 
the participating women were not unthinking minions to male 
domination.  They, like the guys there, simply had a sense of 
humor.

And now, hopefully, back to connectionism.

	            Bob French


Center for Research 
on Concepts and Cognition,
Indiana University