I got reactions to my letter in 000620 MMD about my very nice trip
to Vienna (with the one very weird exception I wrote about).

I really apologize to those readers who felt personally offended by
the Nazi remark, but it should be clear from my story that this was
the feeling I got from this one man's unheard-of reaction to my sole
presence in the group, when they passed by where I stood waiting in
that room.

His rhetorical question didn't come after I had asked a lot of messy
questions (in bad German or English) -- his question came five minutes
after one single question from me to the guide, asking if there would
be an demonstration of the instruments.  (The group asked questions to
the guide.)  I guess that such an interference, from an unknown other
person in the audience or public, would be regarded as weird not only
here in Norway but also in the US (having personal freedom as an
important value).

If this were in some former communist state, I would very well have
come up with an Soviet-communist association, since the communism
(extreme socialism) is very like national socialism on some important
points.  (They also have an totalitarian "order it should be" approach
to the life.)  I am sure there wouldn't have been any huge protests if
I came with an association to communism, provided that I made it clear
that this wasn't meant as a generalization of how people in that
country were, but an unpleasant reminder from one particular
individual.

The popularity of Joerg Haider has been a concern here in Europe,
and there has been a debate about boycotting Austria because of the
questionable political fundament that Joerg Haider builds his politics
on, and that his party has gotten much power.

In fact, I did the opposite, encouraging people on the MMD to visit and
enjoy Austria and its people, but I couldn't resist to tell my true
feelings about the sayings of that old man, since it in fact ruined my
enjoyment and hope of getting a demonstration of some of the other
automatic instruments in that museum.  Since I was unsure if I had done
something that was wrong, I left the scene.

Actually, I wandered around in the museum really disappointed, but I
never dared to ask for a demonstration again.  I now feel confident
that the museum itself is completely okay, since all the staff I talked
to was nice to me.

So again, I apologize for the Nazi remark since it certainly does not
apply to Austrians generally.

Regards

Thomas Henden, Oslo, Norway

 [ Editor's note:
 [
 [ One MMDer wrote to Thomas, saying the remarks were off-topic and
 [ not at all amusing, that they "transfer and support an underlying
 [ prejudice about Austria that is simply wrong."
 [
 [ But I felt that Thomas was not advocating a prejudice -- he was
 [ simply relating his thoughts and feelings, and therefore he was
 [ presenting himself truthfully.  Others in this world also talk
 [ this way, like Thomas, in casual speech and writing.  Should a
 [ man be chastised for honestly speaking his thoughts?  I don't
 [ believe he should.
 [
 [ I don't want to censor the email sent to MMDigest; I view MMD as
 [ a free speech forum which disseminates the thoughts of the writers,
 [ sort of like a radio "talk show".  Jody and I live in California,
 [ whose residents are (for better or worse!) fairly liberal and
 [ tolerant of the actions of other folks.  We want MMD to be equally
 [ tolerant.
 [
 [ Certainly I can't allow libelous letters and offensive "flaming"
 [ and arm-waving bigotry to be published; that could bring a lawsuit.
 [ When letters like this arrive at MMD I confer with the author and
 [ request changes or withdrawal.  It's happened only a few times.
 [
 [ I wish to drop the matter from discussion in MMD.  Thomas requests
 [ that further email be sent to him at <t_henden@mobilpost.com>.
 [ (He checks that email account regularly.)  You can write to me
 [ at <editor@foxtail.com>.
 [
 [ I hope that the MMD readers will understand that Thomas's remarks
 [ expressed his personal reactions, not necessarily a generalization.
 [ He surely had a nice time visiting Vienna!
 [
 [ -- Robbie