Re: Catchup voting results

----- Original Message -----
From: Gerry Reinhart-Waller <waluk@...>
To: <cybalist@eGroups.com>
Sent: Monday, 24 January, 2000 2:04 AM
Subject: [cybalist] Re: Catchup voting results


> John Croft wrote:
> >
> > In reply to my post
> > > John: Bloom is a very limited use of this concept, and is racially
> > > biased
> > > against Arabs (and religiously biased against Islam). A far better
> > > treatment is Susan J. Blackmore and Richard Dawkin's treatment in the
> > > Meme Machine.
> > >
> > > Gerry: How can you accuse Bloom of being racist and anti-Islamic! At
> > > least give him a chance to defend himself!
> >
> > Have you read the Lucifer Principle? In his chapter on "Are there
> > Killer Cultures?" He says Islamic cultures are barbaric, training
> > future generations to be killers. He claims that according to the
> > Koran the man who fails to make wide slaughter in the land of the
> > infidels is committing a sin. Sounds like anti-Islamic racism to me.
> > Or should we say that a country that had a Manifest Destiny to
> > exterminate the Indians was a "Killer Culture"
> >
> > John
> >
> Hi John,
> Yes, I've read Bloom's _Lucifer Principle_. And what he is saying is
> actually "factually" correct but politically incorrect. However, for
> him to have said the opposite would have been, shall we say,
> *politically correct*. This argument isn't only true of Bloom but is
> also true for Rushton's *Race, Evolution & Behavior*. IMO, what we have
> set up here is a true dichotomy with Rushton & Bloom at one end of the
> broomstick and those Politically Correct folks at the other end.
>
> One thing we can possibly do is to ask both groups to scooch over closer
> to the center; however, I'm afraid that there would be no takers from
> either side. Another option is to apply Critical Hermeneutics (Ian
> Hodder) and try to attain a simultaneous fusion and separation of those
> (Race) Realists on one side and those Politically Correct folks on the
> other.
>
> Actually this is what we're trying to do on the hbe-l list. Someone
> suggested that we begin by listing specific factors which need to be
> melded. Do you have any items with which you'd like to begin?
> Gerry

Excuse me for jumping into this, but living as I do in an ethnically and
religiously mixed but predominantly Islamic country, I just couldn't let
this pass. We are currently in the midst of various religious holidays,
having started with Christmas, we have since had Eid al-Fitri for the
Muslims (end of Ramadan fasting month), last weekend was Thaipusam for the
Hindus, and next weekend is Chinese New Year. It is customary, and indeed
encouraged by the government, that we go to each other's festivities.
The Islamic culture here is certainly not barbaric, but far more tolerant
than, say, UK. But this has been true of most Islamic societies through
history. However, people here do feel increasingly under pressure from what
is perceived as a rabidly anti-Islamic fundamentalist Christian United
States, which seems bent on global domination. This has been particularly
brought into focus by the tragic events occurring in neighbouring Indonesia
as a result of IMF-imposed economic policies, and from the western criticism
levelled at PM Dr.Mahathir, it seems because he dared defy the IMF and find
economic solutions tailored for this country.
Anyway, on the assumption that you are not rabidy Racist or PC, may I
suggest you read some books from the other side of the coin. I would
particularly recommend Edward Said, a Palestinian Christian, refugee of 1948
vintage, educated in UK and US (Harvard and Yale) and currently Professor of
English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. Two of his books
"Covering Islam", and "Orientalism" would seem most appropriate as an
antidote to anti-Islamic fervour.

Regards from Malaysia
Dennis Poulter




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> --
>
> Gerald Reinhart
> Independent Scholar
> (650) 321-7378
> waluk@...
> http://www.alekseevmanuscript.com
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