--- "Radhika, Y." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I have the impression that racism is taken much less > seriously by the > west or for that matter in other parts of the world > than is > anti-semitism..recently i was a participant in an > unfortunate email > dialogue with a Jewish friend
I have to agree. There is a rather unfortunately tendenct to behave as if Apartheid, Segregation, the attempt to wipe out the Polish elite during WW2, racism against Africans in large parts of Europe etc. are somehow less serious than the Shoa. and her friends where > I was accused of > being anti-Semite for opining that Thomas Friedman > Additionally I was told that if i didn't recognize > that Arafat was a > terrorist I was blind and stupid. Ultimately i lost > the friendship. I am sorry to hear that. Being a rather superficial student of the modern Middle East, I always thought that Menachem Begin and Arafat were both terrorists and helpers in the founding of states. I would still regard both as criminals, but I believe that both did a service to their respective peoples. > years ago the > same friend refused to look at the picture of a hurt > child in > Palestine because that made her feel bad about > Israel. Well, isn't it > important to follow that thought up with action > instead of just > brushing it away as mere sentiment for terrorists? And accepting that we are not wholly good or wholly evil. -Frank > > > 2005/11/18, Martin Senftleben > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > Am Freitag, 18. November 2005 16:05 schrieb Jeff > Bone: > > > On Nov 18, 2005, at 2:51 AM, Biju Chacko wrote: > > > > One should be held responsible of ones > *actions* not ones > > > > *ideas*. > > > > > > +1!!! > > > IMHO, much of it grounds out in religion. Many > flavors of > > > Christianity hold it true that a sin committed > in thought only is > > > just as sinful. :-/ > > > > Well, agreed, but Christianity also holds true > that the judge be god > > alone, particularly when it is about the thoughts > or ideas of > > somebody. > > > > I find it quite interesting to have this debate > here, and have > > followed it to some extent. I see a very serious > problem in > > distinguishing between the idea and the action. > Because as soon as > > someone propagates his idea, (s)he begins to act. > And there lies the > > crux. Hitler has spread his ideas for years, until > he finally reached > > a position from which nobody could remove him, and > when his followers > > had already begun to act on their own, but under > his influence. Then > > he started to act, being safe in all directions, > in a manner we all > > agree is inhumane. > > Now, can I leave it as it is when someone tells me > that Hitler had > > bright ideas and murdering the Jews was just plain > necessary in order > > to help the German people to develop and prosper? > Who do you > > (impersonal "you") want to hold responsible for > setting fire to an > > asylum of refugees, when the person who did it is > obviously > > brainwashed by another, strongly influencing > person, who implanted > > the idea that foreigners are bastards, just > exploiting our goodwill > > and misusing our hospitality? > > Of course the arsonist will and should be > punished, but can you leave > > the other alone? I don't think so. > > > > It's a very difficult terrain, because at a > certain point you reach > > the same position the other has, and you are as > "bad" as he is. How > > long is it "protecting the freedom of thought and > speech", and when > > does it begin to be an attac against another > person's life? > > > > My 2 cents... > > > > Martin > > -- > > Martin Senftleben, Doctor of Philosophy, S.V. > University using Debian > > GNU Linux > > http://www.drmartinus.de/ > > http://www.daskirchenjahr.de/ > > GPG/PGP key/Schlüssel ID: 5269AE638F01C848 > > > > > > > > > > > -- > Radhika, Yeddanapudi R. > > ___________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Model Search 2005 - Find the next catwalk superstars - http://uk.news.yahoo.com/hot/model-search/
