--- In cybalist@..., Piotr Gasiorowski <piotr.gasiorowski@...>
wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: erobert52@...
> To: cybalist@...
> Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2002 2:13 PM
> Subject: Re: [tied] Indo-European Origins: The Anthropological
Evidence
>
>
> > The short answer to that seems to be "Roger Pearson". List
members might care to take a look at the following sites where rather
disturbing allegations unfold of associations with neo-nazis and
former SS-men, and vast amounts of money in the form of academic
grants from the "Pioneer Fund" to further respectability for racism
and eugenics:
>
> > www.searchlightmagazine.com/stories/genewar06.htm
> > www.ferris.edu/isar/bios/pearbib.htm
>
> > I am amazed that these suggestions appear to have gone unnoticed
and unremarked upon for so long.
>
> They haven't, really. We even talked about them on Cybalist not
that long ago. The question is whether something should be done about
it. My own opinion is that politics and science are different domains
and should be kept apart. If somebody is a good linguist but
has "incorrect" political beliefs, it shouldn't matter professionally.
>
> Don't tell anyone, but my boss (still head of the Poznan School of
English, re-elected last June for the nth time) used to be a
Communist Party activist -- an apparatchik, if you prefer. He's a
fine scholar for all that, a real professional, and he was made an
OBE years ago, when still a Communist, for his leading role in the
development of English studies in Poland. My political sympathies
have always been very different, but it's never mattered at work.
Orwell's books were required reading in my student days at Poznan,
and our library had them despite the official ban.
>
> Now if anyone wants to be a neo-Nazi, why not let him (provided
that he doesn't break any laws)? In my opinion, the world would be a
better place without any fools, but since they are there, suppressing
their rights would be more dangerous, politically and morally, than
having to tolerate them. If a linguist is an admirer of Adolf Hitler
in private but manages to remain an objective scholar in his working
hours, his private life is none of our bussiness (I don't believe
in "false consciousness" -- I spent too many years on the wrong side
of the Iron Curtain). If, on the other hand, he lets his ideological
agenda dominate his thinking (which may easily happen in the social
sciences), he will most likely write rubbish and ruin his reputation
with his own hands. In neither case is it necessary to denounce him
to the public as a neo-Nazi. I'm suspicious of politically correct
activists who seem to get their thrills from witch-hunting, even if
the witches are genuine.
>
> It would be much worse if a number of scholars should organise a
mutual support group in order to protect one another, write
favourable reviews of their pals' articles, present a united front to
external criticism, etc. This _is_ a real danger and it's the only
reason why we should be concerned about things like too many
linguists whose mutual friend is a rich man with curious sympathies.
But again, no need to cry wolf if there's no real evidence of foul
play.
>
> I try to live up to these principles, though I confess that being
only human I sometimes lose my temper and say too much.
>
> > As for John V. Day himself, if he is the same John V. Day
responsible for the introductory notes to Anthony Ludovici's "The
Jews, and the Jews in England":
>
> > www.revilo-oliver.com/Writers/Ludovici/index.html
>
> > then I think he obviously has the same axe to grind.
>
> Yes, it popped up when I was searching the web for John V. Day. It
might indeed be the same person. But I don't know, and hence my
curiosity.
>
> Piotr
Some years back now, I met two Poles whom I proceeded to inform of
the superiority of socialism. They protested very much and invited me
to come visit them and see for myself, if I liked it that much, a
most irrelevant and inappropriate proposal which I of course turned
down.
What motivated us then then was fear of those that won't budge; like
children we learnt fast to pester the nice parent. Fortunately their
prophet had promised them paradise this side of the grave; all it
took to make that system come tumbling down was TV.
It is a hard thing to realize that all the time you think you're
being PC you're kissing the butt of those you fear and pissing on
those you don't.
Torsten