((Do you follow news?))
Well, depends what you can "news". I try to tune out of propaganda central (mainstream media) as much as possible. The lens is simply too biased and distorted. The transparency of underlying motives that lies beneath the propaganda is very distasteful to me.
OTOH, yeah, I try to keep very informed of the "context" and happenings of cultural and historical episodes, both current and past. The key word is "context", you know, the karmic relationships and dependencies on previous actions and resulting consequences. It's my own personal antidote to the "historical amnesia" affliction I mentioned previously.
((Honor killing of girls; Arabs in Palestine use children as suicide bombers and as human shield; They brainwash kids in hatred and tell them that highest mission is to die spreading Islam and killing infidels))
Good lord Nikole. What you just said there is SO decontextualized. Yes, there are suicide bombers in the Arab world. Yes, they have parents, and some parents may support this behavior. Many would not. Yes, there are cultural mechanisms, both structural and informal, that support the promotion of hatred and martyrdom.
But Muslims, like Americans, Russians, Jews, or Cheeseheads, do not speak with a single voice, and are not motivated by a single intention. If you are arguing that Islam has extreme elements, you will certainly get no disagreement from me. But is there a culture that does not? I have a pretty deep background in the history of fascism, including Islamofascism, European fascism, Anglo fascism, and various flavors of Asian fascism, most specifically Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
The most important difference between the fascist and extreme impulses in these societies and Isla, (and I am not arguing that all extremism is fascist; I believe it can also be a form of legitimate political protests; and in the Middle East, it takes on both guises), however, is that Europe, North America, much of Asia do not exist under conditions of extreme exploitation by foreign occupiers. You know, oddly enough, that typically doesn't bring out the best in people.
Your emphasis on the fundamental flawedness of the "essence" of the Muslim people is incredibly scary Nikole. As I look throughout history, what political cultures have adopted such outlooks, and categorized entire categories of people according to racial and cultural attributes? Well, fascist regimes of course. The rhythm of your political discourse is unabashedly fascist in its attribution of "essential" properties to an entire category of people.
Your rationale for their condition is not contextual, it is not historical, and it completely lacks empathy for the experience of an entire culture of peoples. Rather, it speaks to a flawedness in their "essence" as a people. Once one perceives along this line of reasoning, to my mind, it is a very short step to completely dehumanize a people, thereby justifying any and all forms of torture, repression, and maltreatment. Basically, a short step away from a program of racial or ethnic cleansing (which basically, was what you argued for a few posts back - yikes!).
Perhaps there is an opportunity for dialog here Nikole. Do you see any space in which we could explore new possibilities for understanding this situation? Any possibility for common ground? Or are we miles apart, taking complete different assumptions about the nature and experience of a peoples as our governing paradigm?
Regards,
Glenn |
