<VV> "Disrespectful"?

[Norman C. Witte]

> 
> 
> Not all people (or opinions) are worthy of respect. You seem to think
> that most of us have a problem with Nader simply because of his attack
> on the Corvair (far too many people think that he was simply trying to
> do the "right thing" but was just misguided... nothing could be further
> from the truth)... my issues with him run much, much deeper.
> 
> Bill
>

I don't know how much respect to have for Ralph, having never met the man.
But I think Garth's point is that the manner in which you express your
opinions says more about you than it does about the subject of your opinion.

That's why dealing with Nader is such a perennial topic.  Most Corvair
owners think that his statements were unfair and inaccurate, and it
infuriates them that the great unwashed will never stop regurgitating
Nader's catchy phrase.  I see this latent frustration in district court
judges who hear the same criminal, landlord-tenant and collection cases over
and over and over and over again.  After awhile it's hard for them to be
polite when they are dealing with yet another loudmouthed jerk.  But that's
what separates the wheat from the chaff.  When you see a judge who is
courteous even after years of dealing with this, you walk away awed at the
decency of the person.

The Nader issue tests our mettle.  How do you politely refute the
misinformation in such a way that your listener -- who really did you no
wrong but was ignorant about something, which in truth, it's ok to be
ignorant about (the plight of the Corvair is not the general public's
problem anymore) -- while at the same time not revealing your impatience
with having to deal with this tripe yet another time?

One reason I like Corvairs is that the cars are a little quirky.  That fits
my personality, and, I suspect, most of yours.  You like the unusual, the
twist ending to the story.  I think Ralph and all of his misstatements
actually adds to the Corvair story, rather than detracting from it.  Every
other car seems so...pedestrian by comparison.  You get the chance to say,
as Paul Harvey does, now you know...the rest of the story.

The fact is, Ralph has moved on.  Love him or hate him, the Corvair is long
in his past.  Why should we rent him space in our heads?  Let it go, laugh
about it, and when the topic comes up, be glad that there's an interesting
back story.

Norm Witte