[Moonbase-discuss] Not one man

Mon, 18 Mar 2002 15:18:40 EST

--part1_160.a88578a.29c7a5a0_boundary
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Sam (spaceman@mindspring): 
<< In Russia, they celebrate Cosmonaut Day each April 12. Yuri's Night is 
making it a global celebration. But it is not just for remembering one man. 
It is for remembering what people can achieve if they put their mind and lots 
of effort to it. Martin Luther King forced our society to mature and respect 
all people equally. Gagarin and the space programs show the potential for 
greatness in the human race. The human race needs a positive vision for the 
future.

We choose space exploration and settlement as a noble goal. >>

Jon Alexandr@aol.com:
If the event is not primarily for remembering one man -- or one profession -- 
why is it called "Yuri's Night"?  Why wouldn't "Space Day" work?  Or 
"Freedom-from-Earth Day"?  Or "Day of the Orbit"?  But, in fact, the event is 
called "Yuri's Night."  This makes it primarily an homage to one man, no 
matter how many footnotes there are in the program.  And really, I don't 
think that Gagarin can be compared to M.L. King in any but the most facile 
way.  Gagarin, the last time I checked historical records, died when he 
crashed an aircraft while drunk.  (Is that called FUI?)  The "greatness" of 
Gagarin that you speak of was manufactured by the Soviet propaganda machine.  
While the achievement of orbit was undeniably a 'first' in the history of 
humanity and life on Earth, Gagarin, himself, was incidental.  He is a 
subject fit for biographies, but not as the symbol for so momentous an event.

I think that, following the tendency toward religious iconography in 
pre-Soviet Russia, Gagarin is being made into a secular icon.  And don't get 
me wrong, I am an atheist, so I have no problem with the term "secular."  
(Nor do I have a problem with the term "icon.")  But it seems a very Russian 
thing to do -- to, in effect, deify individual people for what really are 
collective efforts.  (And to deify them, in fact, in order to advance a 
religious or state agenda that may not be related to the intrinsic meaning of 
the inspiring event.)

Sam: << The human race needs a positive vision for the future.

We choose space exploration and settlement as a noble goal. >>

Jon:  I agree with both of your sentiments.  But why deify Gagarin?  And what 
about July 20?

--part1_160.a88578a.29c7a5a0_boundary
Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

<HTML>Sam (spaceman@mindspring): 
&lt;&lt; In Russia, they celebrate Cosmonaut Day each April 12.&nbsp; Yuri's Night is making it a global celebration.&nbsp; But it is not just for remembering one man. It is for remembering what people can achieve if they put their mind and lots of effort to it.&nbsp; Martin Luther King forced our society to mature and respect all people equally.&nbsp; Gagarin and the space programs show the potential for greatness in the human race.&nbsp; The human race needs a positive vision for the future. 
 
We choose space exploration and settlement as a noble goal. &gt;&gt; 
 
Jon Alexandr@aol.com: 
If the event is not primarily for remembering one man -- or one profession -- why is it called "Yuri's Night"?&nbsp; Why wouldn't "Space Day" work?&nbsp; Or "Freedom-from-Earth Day"?&nbsp; Or "Day of the Orbit"?&nbsp; But, in fact, the event is called "Yuri's Night."&nbsp; This makes it primarily an homage to one man, no matter how many footnotes there are in the program.&nbsp; And really, I don't think that Gagarin can be compared to M.L. King in any but the most facile way.&nbsp; Gagarin, the last time I checked historical records, died when he crashed an aircraft while drunk.&nbsp; (Is that called FUI?)&nbsp; The "greatness" of Gagarin that you speak of was manufactured by the Soviet propaganda machine.&nbsp; While the achievement of orbit was undeniably a 'first' in the history of humanity and life on Earth, Gagarin, himself, was incidental.&nbsp; He is a subject fit for biographies, but not as the symbol for so momentous an event. 
 
I think that, following the tendency toward religious iconography in pre-Soviet Russia, Gagarin is being made into a secular icon.&nbsp; And don't get me wrong, I am an atheist, so I have no problem with the term "secular."&nbsp; (Nor do I have a problem with the term "icon.")&nbsp; But it seems a very Russian thing to do -- to, in effect, deify individual people for what really are collective efforts.&nbsp; (And to deify them, in fact, in order to advance a religious or state agenda that may not be related to the intrinsic meaning of the inspiring event.) 
 
Sam:&nbsp; &lt;&lt; The human race needs a positive vision for the future. 
 
We choose space exploration and settlement as a noble goal. &gt;&gt; 
 
Jon:&nbsp; I agree with both of your sentiments.&nbsp; But why deify Gagarin?&nbsp; And what about July 20?</HTML>

--part1_160.a88578a.29c7a5a0_boundary--