[HPforGrownups] Re: ADMIN: Privacy issues

[Juan Carlos De La Cruz]

No: HPFGUIDX 26571


On Date Friday 21 September 2001 06:35, You Wrote:
> You know what people, this is utterly rediculas.  It's a waste of space and
> time to read all you you freaking out over a POLL.  Polls are taken every...
> ...it tells ther server this is a changed awnser and they remove a previous
> vote for bi and add one for homo.  This information is not collected save
> for on the server that holds the polls.  The CIA, RCMP, Scotland Yard, nor
> Interpool is lying in wait for our awnsers.  They are not published nor
> brodcast on late night radio.  No one besides us...cares.
>
> Saitaina
> *****

Well, IMHO, if there is something I think the whole HP saga teaches from it's 
very within, is tolerance, is about being supportive, is about believe in 
yourself, is about standing up for others.
 I am Homosexual. A Gay man, as it's said. That doesn't means I am effeminate 
or swishy, or even worse, a Criminal. I am not ashamed of who I am. I am 
succesful, I can say I feel happy most of the time, I work hard to reach my 
goals and often do so, and I think is mostly because I do believe in myself, 
in who I am, in what I do...

      My couple (Call it boyfriend or however you like it the most) led me 
into the HP thing, I used to think of it as something too childish for a 29 
years old guy to read, but on vacation time had the "audacy" of reading the 
first book, and it ended on me reading int in only one day and hgoing to the 
bookstore the next day to buy me the 4 of them and read them in 3 days tops. 
What did I found in there that made me change my mind so quickly?

Support. Bravery. A Deep message of being true to yourself against all sort 
of things.  A message of tolerance, of diversity, of reaching your inner 
self, accepting it and learning to live with it, in a humble way (As in not 
making a show out of it) but proud (As in walking with yuor head on high 
because you know there is nothing to be fearful about).

       I Know it would be of nobody's business around, but when I first 
realized I was Gay, it took me by assault and gave me a very hard time. It 
took psychatrist and lotsa time to teach myself from scratch the values I 
should have known BY HEART since I was a kid. Part of my hapiness around HP 
is that I 've found SOMEONE is planting that seed now, not only to kids 
(Which, let's face it, are the vast majority of HP readers) but to everyone, 
including us, the so-called "Adults".

          I do work as a SysAdmin at a very large Internet Systems and 
Services provider. I Know how do those polls and stuff works since I make 
systems like those myself. I also know that data is going nowhere, is of no 
use for anyone but us (On a very trivial way based only on curious 
statistics), and that If I format my comp right now and get into it again it 
will show as if I have not voted ever, since the "cookie" is stored at MY 
comp, not at the server. Then who owns the data anyway?

But even bigger.. who owns my rights and my pride? Who am I giving the right 
to scare me to?  I was on that tiny hole once too, afraid of people knowing 
who I was. But then, I feel If I remain in that place RIGHT NOW, AFTER having 
read all them 4 HP books up to now, then my eyes were blind, my mind was 
numb, and I was not able to find the deep meaning in within all of them 
books, then my reading was unfruitful and vane.

THEN I'd be ashamed of myself.  I Know how does it feels, but If I want to 
remain on the tiny hole, I would rather not say a thing nor vote, than to 
complain because I might feel threatened. Dumbledore said something (Excuse 
my not using the very exact words) very similar to what some famous XX 
century politician said once.. "The only thing we have  to fear is fear 
itself". To say that, shows fear. Puts anyone in evidence. Is worth nothing, 
in the end.

And in the end, nobody will care anyway.

My humble two galleons. :)


-- 
------------------------------
Juan Carlos De La Cruz.
DeGoPro.com General Manager.
SysOp.Tech and Op Dept.
IFX Networks Venezuela

Profesionnal Musician and Composer.
Proud Hogwarts student at Ravenclaw.

"Ah, music," Dumbledore said, wiping his eyes.  "A magic beyond all we do
here!"
          -HP and the Sorcerer's Stone