Sanctioning the Era of Death - the "We...." Disease!!

[mrda]

So on BBC1's This Week program, a Muslim mother came onto the programme to argue against the tarring of all those of her creed as fanatical, frothing-at-the mouth suicide bombers

Comments

[mein_eschaton]

ah...the "we" disease. something to be avoided. even when i was making that post about goth/industrial i tried to avoid saying "we". afterall, as you point out, what would be the purpose of dispelling one stereotype only to replace it with another? of course, that's assuming that people really do, as they so often claim, find stereotyping to be inherently wrong. however, i think we both know that it's more along the lines of people not likely any stereotype that is unflattering

[ghostdog_]

Hell yes.

[funwithrage]

Efuckingzactly.

If you want people to not tar all members of your group with the same brush, you sort of do need to a) acknowledge that there are sucky ones as well, and b) be as willing to speak out against them as you are the people making generalizations.

[aliasjack]

I actually had a theory once that fundamentalists are the purest adherents to their religion, they understand that Islam isn't peace, that Christianity really is about Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God. It's the reasonable ones, the ones whose theology has been reformed by Western ideals, the ones that we can actually get along with, that are the deviants. This theory requires one to realize that there's hardly anything wrong with deviation.

[mrda]

I own a theory on the religious more or less similar to that one. To adhere completely to a religion or ideology means completely burning out any facets of personality which do not conform to the pre-set template - it makes you more "true" or more the "ideal" but at the price of your very self.

So yes - viva deviation!

[mein_eschaton]

i agree! and i get so much shit for it...

[aliasjack]

Your theory is completely right, and people like myself and Sam Harris -- who wrote THE END OF FAITH -- would agree with you wholeheartedly.

[ubermensch]

*cough orion reasoner cough*

[mrda]

Oh yes, of course!

[ubermensch]

*cough orionreasonerwasrightashell,too cough*

*cough whydon'tyousaythatparttoo cough*