From: Timothy Bates (tbates@karri.bhs.mq.edu.au)
Date: Thu Mar 04 1999 - 18:40:35 MST
> I would like to second the idea of not getting trapped in the Us vs. Them
> meme. I think it is important to remember that the general public is not the
> enemy, they are our families, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and us. We need
> to be able to reach out to those who have not discovered.
I believe that mostly people don't want to and in fact can't discover this,
but that is beside the point.
I think an appropriate metaphor here is "the man who shot liberty valance"
Jimmy Stewart is a lawyer who becomes a Senator - "the man who shot liberty
valance". Now famous and a legendary man he is thoughtful and reasoned,
articulate and intelligent. But in fact he would be dead without John Wayne,
who was, in fact, the man who shot Liberty Valance.
In some ways this discussion is like
<amydalae off> (As Anders would say ;-)
the founding of Israel
</amydalae on>
There were very distinct schools including rabbinical schools who believed
that Zion would be founded by god when god felt like it and that the
Zionists were wrong (many of these people thought that the founders would
lead to the annihilation of the Jewish people).
Among those fighting for Zion were again many schools. The Stern gang
couriered money and robbed banks to fund the movement and arms. They
brutally assassinated many British Officials. Many thought these people were
wrong. Then there was a moderate proto-army (which also ran guns past the
British blockade and assassinated officials), and there was a talk talk talk
group.
All, in this case, had a common goal:foudnig a Zionist State. They also had
many goals _not_ in common. These underpin many of the internal frictions
within Israel today, particularly regarding the role of the secular state,
one reason why I personally consider atheism a sine-qua-none for people who
are part of the future.
I believe that a world of free, autonomous, self-transforming, biotech
trans-humans will not come into being without all of of the above mentioned
schools: violent defense of particular rights, modest but aggressive defense
of more general rights, and constant and indefatiguable talking, and
explanation, and observation. Just the latter will not, IMHO, get us there,
anymore than just talking would have created Israel. Not continuing to talk,
especially to one another, will equally fail.
How's that for balanced radicalism ;-)
tim
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