Date:         Fri, 5 Apr 96 10:55:28 EST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Sean Bartnik <sbart7kb@www.mwc.edu>
Subject:      Re: Deadheads

> 
> >Date:	Fri, 5 Apr 1996 00:27:06 -0600
> >From:	stirling@rof.net (James Cohen)
> >Sender:	vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu
> >To:	Multiple recipients of list <vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu>
> >Subject:	Re: List Stickers
> >
> >Oh, I'm sorry, I guess drug use isn't part of the Dead Head 
> culture.  I
> >guess that all the people I've ever known who were "into the Dead" 
> lied
> >when they talked about all the drugs they took.  Nor did kids who 
> wanted to
> >be part of the the "Dead family" take drugs to really enjoy the 
> experience.
> >And I guess several close friends of mine from high school didn't 
> screw
> >their lives up because of their drug influenced invlovement with 
> being dead
> >heads. I apologize, my mistake.  Maybe they drive type IIs down in
> >Medelline.
> >
> 
> I find your angry diatribe against Dead Heads both offensive and 
> inappropriate for this list.  While I am sorry to hear about the 
> close friends to whom you refer, to make sweeping criticism about 
> any large group of people based on experience with a few is nothing 
> more than stereotyping and prejudice.  As such, it reveals more 
> about the person who makes such comments than it does about the 
> targeted group.
> 
> Based on the higher than average percentage of deadheads who drive 
> Volkswagens, I would guess that there more than a few deadheads, or 
> friends of deadheads, on this list. We all share a love for a 
> common hobby.  While the periodic off-the-subject threads provide 
> welcome variety, in my opinion they should be limited to those  
> that are not devisive, political, or may otherwise be offensive to 
> some list members.  There are other, more appropriate places for 
> that sort of venting.
> 
> -Ron Salmon
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
> 
I agree with Ron here.  There is such a thing as taking personal
responsibility for your actions.  People don't do drugs and f*ck up
their lives because the Grateful Dead said to.  They didn't.  People go
screw up their lives because that's a choice that they make of their own
free will.  Blaming other people for your own problems has become a
favorite pastime here in America.  If you're looking for someone to blame
for your condition, look in the mirror.  

Sometimes I wonder if drugs make you stupid or if being stupid makes you
take drugs.  It's hard to tell sometimes.

I'm sorry about your friends James, but the hard facts are they screwed
up their lives because of what they chose to do.  I really like the Dead
but I've never taken drugs and have never felt any pressure on me to do
so.  

I know this discussion isn't really appropriate to the content of this
list, but I felt this was something I had to say.

Sean