Respect for one's fellow (wo)man (was Re: Hooray for the 10th

Michael M. Butler (butler@comp*lib.org)
Thu, 03 Jul 1997 21:03:05 -0700


>> This dialogue, although quite enjoyable, seems to be going off on tangents
>> of the hypothetical extremes. This is not that bad, nor is it that good.
>
>What tangents? Every argument you have made without substantiation has
>been countered with statistical evidence, which you continue to ignore
>or constest. Is this an admittance of error or merely an aversion to
>confrontation?

Not entirely true. Much of my response was not statistical. Here's more:

I don't consider fundamentals of human behavior to be tangents, but
postulates.
A.M. seems to be interested in developing what seems to ba a Fabian vision of
well-mannered perfect(able) abstractions. Wow. 6+ billion and counting,
surely
a tall order? Well, not if one makes the proper simplifying assumptions.

It's a bit like the old joke whose punch line goes "assume a spherical cat..."
Or like Lenin musing aloud to his crowd, "What is to be done?"

NOTE: No, A.M., I am not calling you Lenin. OK?

I'd love to help engender a world where people respect each other more.
I hope, by my agnostic vision of godliness, to make some contribution in
that wise.
But, to quote myself,

>When respect for one's fellow man is strong, arms are an utter non-issue.
>Absent that respect, what remains?

I consider the first sentence true, based on personal experience.
I consider the following question fundamental, not tangential.

There is nothing abstract about a twice-previously-raped career nurse being
accosted in a parking garage. Nothing *whatsoever*. How _dare_ anyone deny
her the power to stop her assailant?

Sorry, I guess the present day is just an unpleasant hypothetical.
I'm sure glad that nurse is only in my mind.
Let's plan a perfect future world, it's so much nicer, so much realer.
Just like Epcot Center.

And regarding Wellsian technocratic "futurist" central-planning "exegesis":
Be very suspicious of anyone who tells you "I know what's best for you"--
unless you *are* a child.

MMB

(Happy Independence Day, y'all--use it or lose it)
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