One divides people by ethnicity to quash a market economy and replace it with a system where the state directs and controls human activity with an iron fist. The other divides people by class to quash a market economy and replace it with a system where the state directs and controls human activity with an iron fist.
The combination doesn't seem too far-fetched to me.
Add terror attacks to that which are, rightly or wrongly, attributed to 'foreigners' (or even worse, religious fundamentalist foreigners), and it's easy to see why the 'ordinary man in the street' wants to pull up the drawbridge.
Well, I mean, it is a simple fact that they were committed by religious fundamentalist foreigners. There is zero doubt about that, except by the few who find such a description to be so offensive that we must deny reality.
It is a simple fact that the recent terror attacks in Paris were made by home-grown French and Belgian muslims terrorists and not by foreigners.
No so surprisingly the base of this attack is Molanbek suburb in Bruxelles, which many of the youth from this suburb went to do Jihad in Syria without any obstacles from the European authorities and came back.
Add terror attacks to that which are, rightly or wrongly, attributed to 'foreigners' (or even worse, religious fundamentalist foreigners), and it's easy to see why the 'ordinary man in the street' wants to pull up the drawbridge.
Well, I mean, it is a simple fact that they were committed by religious fundamentalist foreigners. There is zero doubt about that, except by the few who find such a description to be so offensive that we must deny reality.
It is a simple fact that the recent terror attacks in Paris were made by home-grown French and Belgian muslims terrorists and not by foreigners.
I don't kno wwhy you thought they were all homegrown, but I'm sorry to say that is simply not true, and recent evidence confirms at least one of the bombers had a Syrian refugee passport, confirming my greatest fear about the situation. http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/15/europe/paris-attacks-passports/
I also find it weird how the most developed Asian nations don't seem to have any interest at all in sharing the humanitarian burden of welcoming refugees.
Japan is not very big on letting foreigners of any kind into its country, whether immigrant or refugee. Its immigration laws are very strict. China, meanwhile, just isn't very big on charity for other countries. It's more interested in business or security than in humanitarian stuff.
I don't find it surprising that some countries aren't interested in taking in refugees. I find it surprising that some countries are interested.
Add terror attacks to that which are, rightly or wrongly, attributed to 'foreigners' (or even worse, religious fundamentalist foreigners), and it's easy to see why the 'ordinary man in the street' wants to pull up the drawbridge.
Well, I mean, it is a simple fact that they were committed by religious fundamentalist foreigners. There is zero doubt about that, except by the few who find such a description to be so offensive that we must deny reality.
It is a simple fact that the recent terror attacks in Paris were made by home-grown French and Belgian muslims terrorists and not by foreigners.
I don't kno wwhy you thought they were all homegrown, but I'm sorry to say that is simply not true, and recent evidence confirms at least one of the bombers had a Syrian refugee passport, confirming my greatest fear about the situation. http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/15/europe/paris-attacks-passports/
Its not so far-fetched, and even likely, that the Syrian passport is a fake, in order to assimilate himself among the refugees and enter France.
*A reminder - new recruits need to burn their passports when they join the ranks of Daesh.
The fact remains, some of the perpetrators are French citizens and not foreigners. ( Which, if you ask me, is a colossal failure of the French and European Intelligence ).
Anyway, we will have to wait for the full investigation to shed more light on the identity of the terrorists.
Japan is not very big on letting foreigners of any kind into its country, whether immigrant or refugee. Its immigration laws are very strict. China, meanwhile, just isn't very big on charity for other countries. It's more interested in business or security than in humanitarian stuff.
I don't find it surprising that some countries aren't interested in taking in refugees. I find it surprising that some countries are interested.
I've been a bit amused at my own Prime Minister. We had an election campaign where he made two promises that strongly relate to Syria.
1) Canada would take in 25,000 refugees by the end of the year (like in the next month and a half). 2) Canada would cease our military involvement in the conflict against ISIS and instead focus our efforts on humanitarian aid.
I can quite imagine that the latter promise in particular is not what the French want to be hearing about now.
Japan is not very big on letting foreigners of any kind into its country, whether immigrant or refugee. Its immigration laws are very strict. China, meanwhile, just isn't very big on charity for other countries. It's more interested in business or security than in humanitarian stuff.
I don't find it surprising that some countries aren't interested in taking in refugees. I find it surprising that some countries are interested.
I've been a bit amused at my own Prime Minister. We had an election campaign where he made two promises that strongly relate to Syria.
1) Canada would take in 25,000 refugees by the end of the year (like in the next month and a half). 2) Canada would cease our military involvement in the conflict against ISIS and instead focus our efforts on humanitarian aid.
I can quite imagine that the latter promise in particular is not what the French want to be hearing about now.
#2 was happening before the france terror attack, so it is just bad timing. However, his comments after were very hypocritical and I really hope the French Prime Mimoster calls him out saying, "the best way canada can help is to help fight ISIS in the Syria/Iraq region"
A lot of the media has already started that line in wake of the G20 summit in Turkey.
Destroy all borders, religions and identities attached to nationhood. Then give everyone the same start in life and the choice to do what they want with it, only bound by laws protecting the safety of people, assests they have built, assets of the human collective and the freedoms of will and self governance.
Destroy all borders, religions and identities attached to nationhood. Then give everyone the same start in life and the choice to do what they want with it, only bound by laws protecting the safety of people, assests they have built, assets of the human collective and the freedoms of will and self governance.
*facepalms*
Why does the solution have to be so difficult...
As random quantum fluctuations are my witness, I have no idea if you're being intentionally or unintentionally funny. But I chuckled when I read it nonetheless.
I've been a bit amused at my own Prime Minister. We had an election campaign where he made two promises that strongly relate to Syria.
1) Canada would take in 25,000 refugees by the end of the year (like in the next month and a half). 2) Canada would cease our military involvement in the conflict against ISIS and instead focus our efforts on humanitarian aid.
I can quite imagine that the latter promise in particular is not what the French want to be hearing about now.
Our president illegally sent 50 soldiers a few weeks ago. I imagine we'll be sending a lot more when France calls, but I hope we do it the right way this time.
Destroy all borders, religions and identities attached to nationhood. Then give everyone the same start in life and the choice to do what they want with it, only bound by laws protecting the safety of people, assests they have built, assets of the human collective and the freedoms of will and self governance.
*facepalms*
Why does the solution have to be so difficult...
As random quantum fluctuations are my witness, I have no idea if you're being intentionally or unintentionally funny. But I chuckled when I read it nonetheless.
You'll get used to Anduin after a while
Slightly off-topic, but does anyone else watch Homeland on Showtime? This season's storyline is remarkably contemporary considering the events of the past year or so. Really great show, about to watch it now as my Sunday evening decompression.
Destroy all borders, religions and identities attached to nationhood. Then give everyone the same start in life and the choice to do what they want with it, only bound by laws protecting the safety of people, assests they have built, assets of the human collective and the freedoms of will and self governance.
*facepalms*
Why does the solution have to be so difficult...
As random quantum fluctuations are my witness, I have no idea if you're being intentionally or unintentionally funny. But I chuckled when I read it nonetheless.
One divides people by ethnicity to quash a market economy and replace it with a system where the state directs and controls human activity with an iron fist. The other divides people by class to quash a market economy and replace it with a system where the state directs and controls human activity with an iron fist.
The combination doesn't seem too far-fetched to me.
Exactly. Just that it's not as easy-fitting as that...
The comparison with national socialism is mostly because 1) they always say they're from the democratic right while they aren't (so I make fun of them... Well, basically everyone that isn't totally left-wing here says so... I suppose it happens around the world as well), 2) racial problems (maybe it's not that, but they repressed them anyway, and AFAIK it was because they were peacefully protesting about their poor living conditions) with aborigines (would be gladly change the term if anyone knows a different one) in the North of the country and lastly 3) Peron, known by some as the plague and by others as god, admired Mussolini, and, had a great sympathy for Mr. Hilter.
Next Sunday, here on Argentina we'll be voting (for the 3rd time, yes, you're heard that right, normally it's only two, but the third's a tie-breaker) for president.
I just hope the current national socialist populists (they're a bit communist, too, and have an extreme fondness of fascism) don't win yet AGAIN. (It doesn't matter who of the opposing parties wins (as wubble said, I just vote the one I dislike the least. My view on politics is highly critical and my enthusiasm is negative), since most of them got together under the name of "Let's Change", and they don't re-inaugurate highways older than my father nor unfinished hospitals that were started over 50 years ago).
It's not their "everything for everyone" politics I dislike the most, but their little care for personal merit. They want to remove the basic common year that people like them placed as the first year of university (for public ones only) for similar purposes (letting everyone go basically).
I keep seeing these things pop up in the news and almost nobody takes these students seriously. I wonder if they realize they're just making liberals, students, and young people--like me--all look stupid. I don't like having them represent me.
The complaints about cultural appropriation all rest on the assumption that culture is finite and can be stolen or damaged. No Indian yogi is going to give up the practice because some white people do morning stretches. And if he did, I'd question his commitment to the tradition.
Not to mention that a class of disabled college students is hardly what I'd call an oppressor; they're not exactly a privileged group. Cultural appropriation, by definition, is when an oppressive group steals elements from a culture they are oppressing.
[spoiler=Quote]There have been concerns among some Hindus over how yoga has crossed over to the Western world. For instance, the Hindu American Foundation's 'Take Back Yoga' campaign is against yoga's commercialization.
But at the Hindu Temple of Ottawa-Carleton, one husband and wife said they didn't have an issue with what they've seen around the community and didn't agree with the idea that non-Hindus teaching yoga is culturally insensitive.
"In Hindi 'yog' means to unite. To unite with who? With your true self. That's what yoga is. Here we tend to relate it with the postures but it's not just postures... and it has nothing to do with religion," said Girija Waghray, who's been teaching yoga around Ottawa for more than 10 years.[/spoiler]
I'm with Boo on this one. The whole thing is stupid.
I keep seeing these things pop up in the news and almost nobody takes these students seriously. I wonder if they realize they're just making liberals, students, and young people--like me--all look stupid. I don't like having them represent me.
The complaints about cultural appropriation all rest on the assumption that culture is finite and can be stolen or damaged. No Indian yogi is going to give up the practice because some white people do morning stretches. And if he did, I'd question his commitment to the tradition.
These stories people keep pointing to at colleges are absurd, but they are also totally insignificant to anyone who isn't actually ON that campus, and they don't matter to 90% of the people there either. I'm far more worried about the Fascist-like crowds I'm seeing at Donald Trump rallies. There is more than a hint of German going on here right now.
I keep seeing these things pop up in the news and almost nobody takes these students seriously. I wonder if they realize they're just making liberals, students, and young people--like me--all look stupid. I don't like having them represent me.
The complaints about cultural appropriation all rest on the assumption that culture is finite and can be stolen or damaged. No Indian yogi is going to give up the practice because some white people do morning stretches. And if he did, I'd question his commitment to the tradition.
These stories people keep pointing to at colleges are absurd, but they are also totally insignificant to anyone who isn't actually ON that campus, and they don't matter to 90% of the people there either. I'm far more worried about the Fascist-like crowds I'm seeing at Donald Trump rallies. There is more than a hint of German going on here right now.
That's a good point. A lot of the "crazy liberal" examples people bring come from college campuses, especially lately with the Yale and Mizzoui, err, Missou, um, I'm now realizing I can't spell my own state college. Priorities. Anyway a lot of the recent political drama only seem to matter to college students, and wondering if the same trends are what's actually happening in the "real world" is a legitimate concern. College students are not representative of the population.
This doesn't surprise me. It's the University of Ottawa. They take political correctness to the next level always. What others think be damned. They are the in the stubbornly in the righteous right. I'd be surprised if they reinstated the class. They'd rather face lawsuits than admit their political correctness was wrong. Just google University of Ottawa's hockey team to find another prime example.
Not to mention that a class of disabled college students is hardly what I'd call an oppressor; they're not exactly a privileged group. Cultural appropriation, by definition, is when an oppressive group steals elements from a culture they are oppressing.
If the oppressive group (group H) really is that oppressive and chose never to steal any cultural elements from the group being oppressed (group K), then group K's culture risks dying and being erased from history altogether. From this point of view, it is better for appropriation to occur because then at least the remnants of the oppressed culture survive and may be reconstituted into their proper form at some point. Consider Christmas, for example--there is ample evidence to support the hypothesis that Christmas was a "culturally appropriated" holiday that the Catholic Church "stole" from the older tradition of Yule. If the Church hadn't done that then there wouldn't be Christmas as it is known today (the fact that Christmas now is not what Christmas was a century ago is a topic for a different thread).
People who think cultural appropriation is bad have failed to understand that this is how societies have changed over time as they bumped into--or slaughtered--each other. Without appropriation there can be no growth--stagnation equals death. Consider the North American Native nations--in the aftermath of the end of the Mississippi/Mound Builder society, there was no appreciable technological advancement from any group, which is why they were still mostly hunter/gatherer groups even as late as the 19th Century, a state of existence that most of the rest of the world had gone beyond one or two millennia before. They didn't have a big need for metal weapons because before the 17th Century no one had threatened them with metal weapons; they didn't develop gunpowder, guns, or cannons for the same reasons. They didn't advance because they were not encountering other cultures besides their own.
I keep seeing these things pop up in the news and almost nobody takes these students seriously. I wonder if they realize they're just making liberals, students, and young people--like me--all look stupid. I don't like having them represent me.
The complaints about cultural appropriation all rest on the assumption that culture is finite and can be stolen or damaged. No Indian yogi is going to give up the practice because some white people do morning stretches. And if he did, I'd question his commitment to the tradition.
These stories people keep pointing to at colleges are absurd, but they are also totally insignificant to anyone who isn't actually ON that campus, and they don't matter to 90% of the people there either. I'm far more worried about the Fascist-like crowds I'm seeing at Donald Trump rallies. There is more than a hint of German going on here right now.
While Donald Trump going from comic relief to dystopian novel villain is clearly the more immediately worrying, I wouldn't dismiss the college issue.
The real fear is that this is a generational shift and people coming out of these universities will enter the adult world (four years late) with the same attitudes. When you think about how this often occurs at some of the most prestigious schools, then a lot of these students will probably be people of significant influence. I'm sure their ideas will be challenged within five minutes of them (finally) entering the real world, and that will blunt some of the edges, but the general impulses will likely still be there.
I keep seeing these things pop up in the news and almost nobody takes these students seriously. I wonder if they realize they're just making liberals, students, and young people--like me--all look stupid. I don't like having them represent me.
The complaints about cultural appropriation all rest on the assumption that culture is finite and can be stolen or damaged. No Indian yogi is going to give up the practice because some white people do morning stretches. And if he did, I'd question his commitment to the tradition.
These stories people keep pointing to at colleges are absurd, but they are also totally insignificant to anyone who isn't actually ON that campus, and they don't matter to 90% of the people there either. I'm far more worried about the Fascist-like crowds I'm seeing at Donald Trump rallies. There is more than a hint of German going on here right now.
Both are a problem since they reflect a society that is increasingly polarised, and hence increased conflict. Democracy only functions when both the winners and the losers agree to respect the outcome.
Society in the UK (well, England at least) is heading the same way, people moving to the far right and far left. There is going to be trouble, mark my words.
I blame the media. Extreme views sell copy, reasoned, moderate opinions are boring.
I keep seeing these things pop up in the news and almost nobody takes these students seriously. I wonder if they realize they're just making liberals, students, and young people--like me--all look stupid. I don't like having them represent me.
The complaints about cultural appropriation all rest on the assumption that culture is finite and can be stolen or damaged. No Indian yogi is going to give up the practice because some white people do morning stretches. And if he did, I'd question his commitment to the tradition.
These stories people keep pointing to at colleges are absurd, but they are also totally insignificant to anyone who isn't actually ON that campus, and they don't matter to 90% of the people there either. I'm far more worried about the Fascist-like crowds I'm seeing at Donald Trump rallies. There is more than a hint of German going on here right now.
Both are a problem since they reflect a society that is increasingly polarised, and hence increased conflict. Democracy only functions when both the winners and the losers agree to respect the outcome.
Society in the UK (well, England at least) is heading the same way, people moving to the far right and far left. There is going to be trouble, mark my words.
I blame the media. Extreme views sell copy, reasoned, moderate opinions are boring.
The simple fact is that the political right in America DOES NOT accept elections that don't go their way. They (by and large) did not and do not view Bill Clinton and Barack Obama as legitimate Presidents. Which is ironic, because it is in fact the political left who were victims of what was essentially a coup d'etat after the 2000 election.
I remember hearing the Tea Party back in its earliest days saying they were objecting to taxation without representation. They didn't vote for the Obama, so they felt he had no right to tax them--they could only be taxed by someone who represented them. I didn't win this election, so it doesn't count.
The Tea Party is still around. They didn't fade into irrelevance.
Comments
The other divides people by class to quash a market economy and replace it with a system where the state directs and controls human activity with an iron fist.
The combination doesn't seem too far-fetched to me.
No so surprisingly the base of this attack is Molanbek suburb in Bruxelles, which many of the youth from this suburb went to do Jihad in Syria without any obstacles from the European authorities and came back.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/15/europe/paris-attacks-passports/
*A reminder - new recruits need to burn their passports when they join the ranks of Daesh.
The fact remains, some of the perpetrators are French citizens and not foreigners. ( Which, if you ask me, is a colossal failure of the French and European Intelligence ).
Anyway, we will have to wait for the full investigation to shed more light on the identity of the terrorists.
1) Canada would take in 25,000 refugees by the end of the year (like in the next month and a half).
2) Canada would cease our military involvement in the conflict against ISIS and instead focus our efforts on humanitarian aid.
I can quite imagine that the latter promise in particular is not what the French want to be hearing about now.
A lot of the media has already started that line in wake of the G20 summit in Turkey.
No reason is good enough to kill another person.
Solution?
Destroy all borders, religions and identities attached to nationhood. Then give everyone the same start in life and the choice to do what they want with it, only bound by laws protecting the safety of people, assests they have built, assets of the human collective and the freedoms of will and self governance.
*facepalms*
Why does the solution have to be so difficult...
Slightly off-topic, but does anyone else watch Homeland on Showtime? This season's storyline is remarkably contemporary considering the events of the past year or so. Really great show, about to watch it now as my Sunday evening decompression.
...
You have to, they are masters of illusion. Both as my wont.
The comparison with national socialism is mostly because 1) they always say they're from the democratic right while they aren't (so I make fun of them... Well, basically everyone that isn't totally left-wing here says so... I suppose it happens around the world as well), 2) racial problems (maybe it's not that, but they repressed them anyway, and AFAIK it was because they were peacefully protesting about their poor living conditions) with aborigines (would be gladly change the term if anyone knows a different one) in the North of the country and lastly 3) Peron, known by some as the plague and by others as god, admired Mussolini, and, had a great sympathy for Mr. Hilter. Yup. Were I the only one that got the reference? Kudos if you get mine ^.^
"University yoga class canceled because of 'oppression, cultural genocide'"
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-yoga-genocide-university-of-ottawa-20151123-story.html
Come on... even the most left-wing Culture Warriors that I've met think this is going too far.
"In a French-language interview with Radio Canada, student federation president Roméo Ahimakin said there were no direct complaints about the class."
Yep, just a bunch of rich white kids getting upset on someone else's behalf whether they like it or not.
The complaints about cultural appropriation all rest on the assumption that culture is finite and can be stolen or damaged. No Indian yogi is going to give up the practice because some white people do morning stretches. And if he did, I'd question his commitment to the tradition.
In other words...
[spoiler=Quote]There have been concerns among some Hindus over how yoga has crossed over to the Western world. For instance, the Hindu American Foundation's 'Take Back Yoga' campaign is against yoga's commercialization.
But at the Hindu Temple of Ottawa-Carleton, one husband and wife said they didn't have an issue with what they've seen around the community and didn't agree with the idea that non-Hindus teaching yoga is culturally insensitive.
"In Hindi 'yog' means to unite. To unite with who? With your true self. That's what yoga is. Here we tend to relate it with the postures but it's not just postures... and it has nothing to do with religion," said Girija Waghray, who's been teaching yoga around Ottawa for more than 10 years.[/spoiler]
I'm with Boo on this one. The whole thing is stupid.
Anyway a lot of the recent political drama only seem to matter to college students, and wondering if the same trends are what's actually happening in the "real world" is a legitimate concern. College students are not representative of the population.
People who think cultural appropriation is bad have failed to understand that this is how societies have changed over time as they bumped into--or slaughtered--each other. Without appropriation there can be no growth--stagnation equals death. Consider the North American Native nations--in the aftermath of the end of the Mississippi/Mound Builder society, there was no appreciable technological advancement from any group, which is why they were still mostly hunter/gatherer groups even as late as the 19th Century, a state of existence that most of the rest of the world had gone beyond one or two millennia before. They didn't have a big need for metal weapons because before the 17th Century no one had threatened them with metal weapons; they didn't develop gunpowder, guns, or cannons for the same reasons. They didn't advance because they were not encountering other cultures besides their own.
While Donald Trump going from comic relief to dystopian novel villain is clearly the more immediately worrying, I wouldn't dismiss the college issue.
The real fear is that this is a generational shift and people coming out of these universities will enter the adult world (four years late) with the same attitudes. When you think about how this often occurs at some of the most prestigious schools, then a lot of these students will probably be people of significant influence. I'm sure their ideas will be challenged within five minutes of them (finally) entering the real world, and that will blunt some of the edges, but the general impulses will likely still be there.
Society in the UK (well, England at least) is heading the same way, people moving to the far right and far left. There is going to be trouble, mark my words.
I blame the media. Extreme views sell copy, reasoned, moderate opinions are boring.
The Tea Party is still around. They didn't fade into irrelevance.