h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thanks for trying to steer Dave back onto the track. I, however, have left (again). There's not much point. The big issues have their own threads. This one is just an invitation to patriotic bellyachers.

anhaga

by "this one" I meant the "what's wrong with Americans" one. Not the one I just started.

I think the theory, if I might be so bold as to dignify the strategy with that term, is that you try to use your opponent's argument against him. This presumes that you have some more than superficial understanding of your opponent's argument. Otherwise it's sounds a little bit idiotic in most instances.

For example, let's look at the term "racism". Now, racism historically was practiced on a grand scale in America until it was belatedly declared illegal.

Nowadays frustrated racists are quick to jump on anything they might remotely interpret as racist if it's directed at them. They want, above all else, that the application of the restraint be fair even though, heretofor, they felt under no constraint expressing their own racist sentiments whenever they thought they could get away it.

When they do it, it's not racist after all. When others do it it is. This allows them to continue to practice a form of racism that they think can't be equated with racism because they don't equate it as such. A rather interesting game with interesting rules I think.

This makes it easy in their view to refute criticisms of their own exclusive culture and society. Call such criticisms racist, even though historically criticism was never the purpose of racism. Oppression was and these apologists cannot even remotely claim to be oppressed, a fact they conveniently ignore of course. Mere criticism for them is enough without the oppression. QED

It should go without saying that this whole line of alleged reasoning leaves a lot to be desired. This is why it will take quite awhile before racism is truly eradicated in America if it ever is.

Your discussion of racists and racists makes me think of the sick feeling I get everytime someone uses the term "politically correct". That's a term that was coined by right-wing sexist facist racist homophobes who wanted an easy way to belittle and set aside the legitimate concerns of victims of discrimination. If someone wanted to consider the concerns of women, they got told they were just being "politically correct". It was never considered for a moment that they were just trying to be "correct". It's not "politically correct" to ensure equal right for all: it's just correct, morally. It's not "politically correct" to preserve the environment: it's just correct. etc.

Never mind the "fighting Sioux" what about the Washington Redskins and the Tomahawk Chop? As I remember one aboriginal activist remarking "no one would stand for the Washington Spearchuckers and the Junglebunnie Jump."

I'm still looking in on the WWW Americans thread.

I think if you review the article you'll notice it takes a very general approach that might prove enlightening about why people make such selections as "Redskins" in the first place and why they don't want to discard them when asked politely.

I did review the article, and I agree. I just am saddened that other examples can be brought forward.

I think it's equally regrettable that the mascot issues seem to conceal the underlying abuses rather than bringing them to the fore in most instances.

yes.

on a different subject: concerning the whole "guns blazing" debate. I find it interesting that the first person to use the phrase in the current debate was, in fact, Dave. In the post he was criticizing, which he obviously read with his usual attention to detail, I said "guns blasting". I guess he's just too caught up in the stereotype.

Well, as I've probably already implied, Dave is not the sharpest tool in the shed. He employs other people's arguments like computer document templates awkwardly modifying them for his own purposes and then triumphantly displaying the results as if they were some seminal evidence of inherent brilliance or originality. He'd be flunking right now if he were attending any of my courses.

Unfortunately, with the proliferation of computer technology, I'm afraid this sort of thing is hardly rare. Without templates, these students couldn't even program a hack because they have no idea how the system works or why. But they convince themselves that they are perhaps God's answer to the very stupidity they exhibit routinely.