Mats Normann responds to me in a dignified manner:

>>And I am tired of hearing these flimsy excuses for Wagner's views.
>
>Is your famous wife having menstruation today so you have to dump off
>your frustrations to me?

 [Sorry to have missed this, Don.  -Dave]

Why do I have the impression that Mats is the frustrated one? Seems to me
that Mats needs to concentrate on his own cycle; my wife's is none of his
business.  Is my lovely wife really famous? We both thank Mats for giving
her this special designation and anticipate the arrival in the mail of an
honorary plaque or at least a gift certificate for feminine products.

Mats and I agree that Wagner's music stands on its own, and that it is
appropriate to enjoy and hold his music in high esteem regardless of his
personal views and traits.  Where we part ways is that I think that bigotry
overwhelms just about any other trait a person may possess, while Mats
feels that Wagner may well have possessed *positive* traits that, at least
partially, offset the negative ones.  What might these positive traits be?
Did he dedicate his life to those needing charity? Did he routinely risk
his life to save the lives of others? Sorry, he didn't do anything or
possess any traits that hold a candle to the significance of being a bigot.

Mats also indicated that I must be "narrow-minded" for stating that I
am intolerant of bigotry and not interested as to how or why a person
is a bigot.  If that's being narrow-minded, I more than welcome the title.
Until there's a "cure" for bigotry, persons in the targeted groups need to
protect their rights, not concern themselves with the poor misguided bigot.
These types of individuals might be neurotic, genetically coded to be
bigots, and struggling within themselves.  It doesn't matter - without
an antidote, only the actions count.  That's being practical, not
narrow-minded.

Don Satz
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