BUTT OUT

Pete, Give me a break! You make Athens sound so bleak [Pub Notes, June 30] without all the smokers that I'll want to move away! Seriously though, since when is "diversity" defined by being a smoker (or not)? How ridiculous. Secondly, what in the world does smoking have to do with creativity (as in "the funky hotbed of creativity that enriches Athens artistically")? Do all artists smoke? No, they do not. Do all people that go to the Manhattan smoke? No, they do not. Nearly every week since this debate started you have made some reference to all the poor smokers of Athens who will no longer be able to go downtown because they can't smoke - how sad for them. But guess what, Pete? I guarantee you that you will find the Manhattan filled up with people even if they can't smoke. Because last time I checked, going out to a bar was usually about socializing with friends, not about whether they could smoke. Bars embody an atmosphere of camaraderie - and cigarettes and alcohol help to that end. But if they can't smoke, will they stop turning out? They'll still have a few (or a few-too-many) drinks and hang out - they'll just do it smoke-free as long as they're inside the bar. As for business owners, I understand their concerns, but if New York City can pull it off, then so can little old Athens. Bars are in the business to serve drinks, not cigarettes. For those establishments that do sell them, I'm certain the majority of their income does not come from the sale of cigarettes, it comes from pouring drinks. So while the business owners will likely get an earful from their patrons about how they can't smoke, they'll likely get some thank-you's from the non-smokers as well. If someone chooses to not go out because they can't smoke, their loss. It's about time that the non-smokers of Athens get to enjoy being out as much as the rest! Do you not remember several years ago when they changed the open-container law? Everyone was sure that since Joe Bulldog-Fan-from-Atlanta or Suzi Sorority or anyone for that matter couldn't walk around with their beers that there would be no one around downtown - and no fun or money being spent either. But as we all know, the downtown streets are filled up on the weekends with football fans and artists alike - without aforementioned beverages in hand. Athens can do this… and I hardly think our commissioners are to blame for wanting Athens to be desirable for everyone, not just the smokers.

LTP
Athens

FREE SPEECH

Boycotts don't really work anymore. It's virtually impossible to mobilize a large enough group of people to cause a dent in any business or ideology because there are just too many different viewpoints out there. On the rare occasion that a boycott sees some success, it's usually only temporary because Americans are forgetful, ignorant and otherwise apathetic. Even when we're offended, we usually don't care enough to do anything about it. The result is that boycotts and protests usually don't do much more than unintentionally promote animosity. See if you can keep up with this segue.

I don't know Michael Moore. I've never met him or even seen him in person. I've never read his books or watched one of his documentaries.

The only time I actually witnessed one of his notorious moments of angering conservatives was when he gave his little speech at the MTV movie awards. It was just as boring then as it is now. I had no plans to go see his new movie when I first heard about it, but now I'm doing what I can to spread the word.

What caused such a change? Conservatives. If they're making such a stink about something that most people wouldn't have noticed in the first place — surely it must be good, right? Or at very least, it's definitely got to have a hardcore sex scene or something. Conservatives don't mobilize like this for nothing. There's got to be a reason. Hell, the movie's already out and they're still trying to stop it. That's like continuing to run after the race is over.

I'll be going to see the movie for certain, but it was not always so. I am morally opposed to the hard-liners of any ideology. I don't like dogmatism and I don't like self-righteous individuals; no matter what their stance is. As such, I usually just feed my news addiction by researching the stories themselves instead of listening to ideologues.

Novel idea eh?

This time, though, an ideologue has my attention. Not so much because of what he's saying, but because of what's being said about him. For anyone who actually follows the news instead of gleaning little bits from "The Daily Show," most of what Moore has to say in his new film is very old news. Yet Michael Moore currently has a dedicated following bigger than any respectable journalist in America. He also has more dissenters than most pundits. All this hoopla for a guy that looks like what I'd expect the late Chris Farley's uncle to look like. I sincerely doubt that the animosity against him has to do with what he's saying or even that he's a credible source, but that he's saying it so damn loud and to such a big audience. Not to mention the fact that his dissenters have no adequate rebuttal.

Smart move on their part — counting on the apathy of Americans. The average person is too dense to just go, "Ummmm… why don't you just counter his so-called 'lies' with the truth?" Like I said, I haven't seen his movies nor read his books, but I've definitely defended him on that point.

Moore's detractors are focused entirely on preventing him from saying what he has to say. They realize that it's just too daunting — if not impossible — to offer a reasonable argument to counter what are likely totally factual points. Indeed, it is human nature to sometimes just not like something or someone. A reason is not always necessary. Thus, feeling opposed to Moore but lacking the capability to battle him on level ground it becomes easier to simply focus on keeping the playing field uneven through censorship and restrictions.

When political opponents have exhausted all hope of reasonable debate they usually seek other avenues to avoid defeat. This is what is happening now with Moore's new movie. Eventually, some smarter dissenter will take the time and invest the energy to see Fahrenheit 9/11 and write up a decent opposing argument. But it hasn't happened yet, and at this rate I don't expect it to.

Greg Woods
Athens