From: Damien Broderick (d.broderick@english.unimelb.edu.au)
Date: Thu Sep 13 2001 - 23:12:55 MDT
At 09:20 PM 12/09/2001 -0400, Jerry Mitchell wrote:
>We were attacked because [we in the USA] are a symbol of Capitalism
Well, sort of... but more to the point, from their point of view, a symbol
and active source of decadence, sexual depravity, physical and spiritual
oppression. Do you really imagine the Jihad wake up in the morning and tell
each other, `George, by Allah, that beacon of liberty has to *go*. If
there's one thing I can't stomach, it's *liberty*.' Only in the Simpsons
are motives that bald. What they see is, by their lights, unparalleled
wickedness striding the world. Persuading such people--whose understanding
of reality has been created by sacred fanaticism--that this is a mistaken
view will not be easy, especially if we allow ourselves to become confused
over what they themselves think they're up to.
`I don't *give* a damn, I just wanna nuke the sons of bitches and all their
children even unto the seventh generation!'
Okay, go for it. That should work a treat. Cf. Romans vs. Jews, Germans vs.
Jews, Jews vs. Palestinians...
>and a culture based on
>reason.
If only. Nobody I saw held high a copy of Karl Popper or John Stuart Mill.
What I've watched sprayed across the media has been ceaseless, inanely
desperate, desperately inane god-invoking, my true God can beat up your
false God, all the old medieval bullshit. So sad.
`Reason Bless America!'
Damien Broderick
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Nov 02 2002 - 08:10:37 MST