a limerick of my own

[Peggy Jennings]

	I am risking broadcasting this message on the network because I 
started a discussion surrounding the offensive limericks, but did not make 
clear what offended me. It is important to broadcast the 
clarification of this issue on the net because there is a recurring type of 
offense that happens on this network and at connectionist conferences and 
summer institutes that I am not faced with on other networks and at other 
conferences.  The offenses in the limericks are not related to word usage 
('whore') nor about topic selection (sex).  I apologize to those who have 
involuntarily spent money or time reading those messages.  The offenses lie 
in the communication of assumed male perspective and values, and in the 
assumption that humor that is insulting and degrading to another group 
of people is acceptable by tacit agreement. This *is* a concern of 
members of this network.  
	Unfortunately, in my original message, I defined the issues in a 
conjunction using two asymmetrical relations:  

(1) that connectionists are men
(2) that women are whores.  

Both of these assumptions anger me -- the second offends me personally 
(and is *not* the concern of this network) and the first offends me 
professionally (and *is* the concern of this network).  I'd like clarify the 
issue and pull further discussion of this ***off the network.***  
	What I am trying to communicate is my frustration and anger at 
assumption (1):  that those who attend Connectionist Modeling Summer 
Institutes, those who attend connectionism conferences and talks, and those 
who subscribe to connectionist networks are white men.  The offense is one 
of egocentric perspective.  This perspective is manifested as sexism in my 
case, but to others it could look like racism, for example, or of "religio-
centrism"  
	What angers me is the communication of the implicit assumption 
that members of this network and participants in the ConnectFest share 
a value system that, for example, finds humor in the function or 
dysfunction of male sexual arousal or in the exploitation of an objectified 
sexual "service".  We who subscribe to this network have in common that 
we are *people,* but the only further assumption that can safely be made 
is that we are all interested in connectionist research and development.  
Posting humor or any other message that is insulting or degrading to 
*any* group of people is not appropriate.  
	I am challenging members of this network to communicate a global 
perspective.  When you post something on this network, when you give a 
presentation at a conference or special institute, do not assume that the 
audiece is just like you.  Assume that members of the audience are different 
genders, races, nationalities and religions sharing scientific interests in 
connectionism.  The only value system we have identified to you by 
subscribing to the network or by attending the conference is one of research 
interest.  And that is the only topic we have asked to read about in our 
mail.
	With that, let's **get this off the net now**  I'll gladly 
continue this discussion with individuals who want to continue.  And 
finally, I'd like to close this discussion with a little limerick of 
my own (after Gasser):

	Said the Boltzmann machine to its lover,
	"There's an optimum we can discover.
	This is such a great feeling
	Let's slow our annealing
	Exploring each dip in the other."

P.S.	Thanks to all of you who wrote to support me, criticize me, agree 
with me, call me names, and ask me what I think.  I am fortunate in having 
the opportunity to enter into discussion with so many of you who care about 
these issues in our profession.  

*******************************
-- Peg Jennings