"Hoges in WA" wrote in message
...

"Capt. JG" wrote in message
easolutions...
"Hoges in WA" wrote in message
...
Hm, no wonder you're sympathetic. Lets try again with another group.
Say a North Korean ship accidentally killed some friends of yours.
Would you then think all Asians are inferior and deserve to be killed?
If they did it on purpose would you *then* think all Asians are
inferior and deserve to be killed?

Stephen

No, you're missing the distinction between racism and bigotry.
I am selective in my prejudices, not racially biased.

I think that's a reasonable argument, but I have a question (or perhaps a
comment). Don't you think we need to struggle against our prejudices? I
think that allows us to make the claim we're fully human.

That would be an ideal. On an intellectual level, I get an Arab magazine
bi-monthly and have received it since 1977.

I think the struggle is the important part. No one can be 100% successful
(unless you're a saint).

We all have deep-seated prejudices, but we can and should strive to overcome
them.


I have learned a lot about Arab culture, history, literature and
achievement (Ibn Battuta was a bit of a cruiser!).

I can distinguish between an educated Arab and a Palestinian thug from a
criminal family. However, until I know where they come from, I treat them
with suspicion and relax once I know.

If I'm wandering along a street in my home town and a group of Australian
Aborigines is coming towards me, male or female, my defences are up at
once. If at all possible, I'll cross the street - I can't afford time off
work to attend court cases.

That's pre-judging or, prejudicial. It's discriminatory, based on
hard-won experience. It's also something I will not stop doing and
something I won't stop complaining about until they begin to behave.

It's also called self-preservation, and I don't see something wrong with it.
The circumstance has a lot to do with it. If you were attending some
professional conference that had a lot of Aborigines in attendance, would
you feel the same way while listening to a lecture? Crime is crime, and it's
reasonable to take precautions, but I would have the same reaction if I were
about to encounter a bunch of skin heads.


If, on the other hand, I was to encounter a group of aborigines in Cairns,
on the other side of the coutnry, I would be more likely to be interested
rather than suspicious, as most of them have a job and a future to
protect.

Right... I didn't read this until after I typed previously. :-)

I think everyone discriminates, even lefties who say they don't - I just
admit I do.

I think anyone who is being intellectually honest would say they either do
or struggle mightily not to.

My attitude is roundly criticised by many of our acquaintances (my wife's
really) but mention "American" to an Oz lefty and you get rolled eyes,
sneers etc.

They don't see their discrimination as being as bad as mine because they
think they're entitled to "that" prejudice and I'm not entitled to mine.

Just makes my sniping worse.

Yes. Entitlement... that's a harbinger of unfettered prejudice.


--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com