Interesting Links for 14-02-2012

[andrewducker]

• What I've Learned About Smart People.
  (tags: questions intelligence )
• A female apostle was erased from the bible during the middle ages.
  (tags: censorship christianity religion women )
• Metal substitutes are being tested to deter thieves
  (tags: materials uk crime metal )
• The Geek Social Fallacies of Sex.
  (tags: sex social geeks feminism )

Comments

[kerrypolka]

Oh boo, lots of commenters are doing that annoying fallacy fallacy of using "pro-Palestine" to mean "anti-Israel", which is annoying. The Guardian has been more than usually comically antisemitic over the past few months*, but I've noticed their eradicating Israel from their travel pages and ads for at least two years - I don't know whether it's ever been on there but I assume not.

*aside from a brilliant editorial about how "the chosen ones" are insular and don't value the lives of any non-Jews, there was a great headline about a "group of pro-Israeli business tycoons" in November or December - JUST SAY "CABAL OF JEWISH BANKERS" WHEN YOU MEAN CABAL OF JEWISH BANKERS, GUARDIAN, IT'S OK

[momentsmusicaux]

There's also the distinction of 'anti-Israel's current policy' and 'anti-Israel's existence'.

[danieldwilliam]

Indeed.

I find myself very pro the existance of Israel, quite pro the Palastinians not living in what sometimes looks like a very large concentration camp but not really pro-either sides’ policy of shouting very loudly at each other and firing ordanance into each other’s streets with a side order of wishing the other side pushed into the sea.

[kerrypolka]

Yes, indeed!

[octopoid_horror]

Yep.

I'm fully in favour of a Jewish homeland, but I'm also against secret nuclear proliferation, concentration camps and entirely intentional war crimes against a civilian population.

[khbrown]

Couldn't some of those pro-Israeli business tycoons be US Christian fundamentalist right-wingers though? Types that support Israel because either a) they genuinely believe the end is night or b) don't believe it but see it is good business.

Also I doubt that the Guardian's critics here would accept "Cabal of Jewish Bankers" as a neutral headline - kind of damned if they do and damned if they don't?

[evil]Can someone be anti-Palestine and anti-Israeli, favouring turning the whole area into a radioactive, biological warfare ridden wasteland no-one could live in? 'Force you to be nice to each other, kill you before you kill each other' Violent Pacification style thing[/evil]

[cartesiandaemon]

Can someone be anti-Palestine and anti-Israeli, favouring turning the whole area into a radioactive, biological warfare ridden wasteland no-one could live in?

I've definitely heard that suggested on the internet, in jest, but from people exasperated enough. My thought was "but mass bombings of civilian population is the problem we're trying to stop."

[apostle_of_eris]

In many cases, unfortunately, "pro-Palestinian" is a front for anti-Israel.
I apply a simple litmus test: if someone only gets excited about it when Palestinians are abused by Israelis, but not when Palestinians are abused by, say, the entire rest of the Arab world, especially including their own "leaders", they aren't really pro-Palestinian.