Subject:
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Re: First entry in "predict the responses!"
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Wed, 22 May 2002 16:58:51 GMT
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Viewed:
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265 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Lindsay Frederick Braun writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> > (and also maybe to defuse the flame war that might soon be erupting about
> > returning stuff bought at another store)
> >
> > http://www.nationalreview.com/derbyshire/derbyshire050902.asp
> >
> > Who can most accurately predict how each of the usual suspects will react to
> > that one? (no need to post, you can just keep score in your head).
>
> Well, I want to start at the gate, to see who would predict my rather
> predictable response. I see the core of Mr. Derbyshire's argument
> right here:
>
> "What a world! You can only read a certain amount of this
> stuff before you start to avert your eyes. What on earth
> can anyone hope to do about all this? All the simple expla-
> nations for the horrors that stain a large part of our planet
> have been used up. We now know that it's not the fault of
> colonialism, or neo-colonialism, or capitalism, or socialism.
> It's just the way these places are. They can't handle modernity,
> for some cultural reason we don't understand and can't do
> anything about."
>
> This is absolute and complete BS; it's a perfectly colonial attitude,
> in fact. The backwards condition of the states he mentions--and that
> includes the condition of people like the Palestinians--has its roots
> in colonialism; it's perpetuated and made worse by globalization and
> global capitalism.
<snip>
I have to say I started by reading the conclusion first. This line
caught my eye:
“Being Arabs, they are incapable of constructing a rational polity, so their
future is probably hopeless whatever happens.”
As I am not aware of any genetic study which has proven that “Arabs”
specifically are incapable of being rational, this initially struck me as a
rather racist statement. However, reading the rest of the text (together
your own analysis), I have come to the conclusion that JB is either ignorant
or is preaching to the converted.
Scott A
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: First entry in "predict the responses!"
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| (...) I thought that the entire article was written with a cynnical 'tongue in cheek' method. I don't think the author is racist, but rather looking at the "facts" as he sees them and saying that' "Hey, you've had just as much opportunity thru the (...) (23 years ago, 22-May-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | First entry in "predict the responses!"
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| (...) Well, I want to start at the gate, to see who would predict my rather predictable response. I see the core of Mr. Derbyshire's argument right here: "What a world! You can only read a certain amount of this stuff before you start to avert your (...) (23 years ago, 22-May-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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