Re: Confusion about milongas in Los Altos

[Larry Duke <auto_d20 @YAHOO.COM>]

In such era of indifference, where the trivial is
allowed importance and every voice given equal ear, a
lonely cry of reason will not be heard above the
clamoring crowd. Yet celebration continues, and often
only for celebration, itself. Manquer de raison est
raison d'etre. We know no other way. There is no
mandatory classroom or culture for alternative
thoughts on what might be a more worthy or satisfying
life. A life where merit is of value and illusion
expelled, where hypocrisy and other falsehoods die of
loneliness or contempt, and a life where an individual
or an idea can succeed or fail according to worth and
free from politics.

In lieu of such impossible dream, we'll seek the path
of least resistance and continue the dance of
deception.

We don't know what to believe, anymore. Sadly, this
prompts a steady surrender of interest in our most
vital issues. What's perceived as too difficult or
confusing is left for others to figure out. Any
others. We retreat to the familiar, the understood,
the bright and clear and easily digested. We surrender
to the distractions of childhood: we buy something, or
eat, or play, or entertain ourselves.

When ignorance allows the wholesale abandonment of
reason, propriety or decency, it is no longer bliss.
It is reprehensible. We are responsible to each other
in a mutual pact of awareness no different than in our
common past when we'd watch each other's back. It was
unspoken and ultimately necessary for mutual survival.
We've grown in many ways since then but still are
bound to that silent pact, to inform the other of
potential threat that other may not have seen, and to
listen if he should come to us in similar warning.

Thank you, JC, for the warning ...

> Despite my clear and simple request to learn more
about this new and
> unknown group, I can't get anyone associated with
the group to TELL who is
> involved!  I get sideways answers instead of
straight forward ones.  This
> is not comforting.   The only person (who publicly
claims to be part of
> this group) who gives his name is Steve Hoffman,
(who posted the
> announcement) but my research indicates that Steve
isn't the person who is
> putting on the milonga!  Why is Steve fronting for
someone else who is
> actually putting on the milonga?  Why does Steve
give vague and incomplete
> answers when asked, instead of publicly name the
people in this
> group?  Does he want to lead folks to make our own
inaccurate assumptions
> about the group?
>
> This new milonga is put on by a group (of mostly
unknown member, except for
> Steve) that call themselves a "society". What is a
society?
>
>
http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=society
>
>  >so7ci7e7ty (s-s-t)  n., pl. so7ci7e7ties. Abbr.
soc., s., S.
>  >
>  >         1.
>  >               a.The totality of social
relationships among human beings.
>  >               b.A group of human beings broadly
distinguished from
>  >              other groups by mutual interests,
participation in
>  >              characteristic relationships, shared
>  >                 institutions, and a common
culture.
>  >               c.The institutions and culture of a
distinct
>  >self-perpetuating group.
>  >          2.An organization or association of
persons engaged in a
>  >              common profession, activity, or
interest: a folklore
>  >              society; a society of bird watchers.
>  >          3.
>  >               a.The rich, privileged, and
fashionable social class.
>  >               b.The socially dominant members of
a community.
>  >          4.Companionship; company: enjoys the
society of friends and
>  >              family members.
>  >          5.Biology. A colony or community of
organisms, usually of the
>  >              same species: an insect society.
>  >
>  >[French sociiti, from Old French from Latin
societs, fellowship, from
>  >socius, companion; see sekw-1 in Indo-European
Roots.]
>
> They do not appear to be "an organization or
association of persons engaged
> in a  common profession, activity, or interest"
since no organization
> exists, there is no way to "join".  Nor are they the
established "socially
> dominant members of a community" or they would have
no reason to create
> confusion about their group, their identities and
their purpose - we would
> already know them all and their express intent
because they would be a
> members of the established San Francisco Bay Area
Tango Community to which
> we all already belong.   Their apparent need or
desire for secrecy makes me
> worry that there is some untoward objective that the
group wishes to
> disguise.  This leaves me with a very unsettled
feeling about this group
> and their milonga.
>
> jc

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REMINDER: Announcements of Tango events or products should be sent to
Tango-A and not to TANGO-L. To subscribe to Tango-A, send the
command "subscribe Tango-A Firstname Lastname" to LISTSERV @MITVMA.MIT.EDU.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------