>From: "John D. Giorgis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: Re: Pride and Arrogance Re: American Attitudes
>(wasRe:Hardworking?)
>Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 16:26:11 -0400
>
>At 10:01 PM 5/26/01 +0200 Sonja van Baardwijk-Holten wrote:
> >Since my substantiated and to the point responses as usual get cut down
>by
>you
> >personally insulting me I don't see the point in repetition of the
>contents of any
> >of my former posts.
>
>Fair enough. I will not slice anything from this response.
>
> >It's not that my opinion has changed just because you doubt my
> >intelligence and you apperently aren't able to properly interpret what I
>wrote in
> >response to previous posts of yours. I've asked a few times already if
>you
>think
> >that you have a justified right to be arrogant or if you are merely very
>proud.
> >All I got in response untill now are a few insults and still no straight
>answer.
>
>No - I have repeatedly said that I am not discussing whether arrogance is
>*justified* - and I am not going to break that now. The topic of
>self-righteousness was just discussed a month of two ago, and I have no
>desire to re-open it when there are so many other issues to discuss. So,
>on that issue - I am remaining agnostic.
>
>The proposition put forth is whether or not Americans have *reason* to be
>arrogant. I have argued that, presuming that arrogance exists, there do
>appear to be reasons.
>
>I have stated this in the plainest terms I know at least three times (and
>now this counts as a fourth.) Dan Minette did an excellent job of
>interpreting what I was saying as well - a post I have referred you to at
>least once.
>
>Now, if you are truly interested in a debate as to whether or not arrogance
>is justified, the closest I can offer you right now is a debate on whether
>or not America is not merely good, but is great. See my post entitled
>"America: Not Just Another Country."
>
> >But if you insist my opinion can be condensed as follows: I don't think
>that any
> >US citizen has any justification whatsoever for the obviously displayed
>contempt
> >for and arrogance against other nationalities.
>
>If that is your condensed opinion - then you have been wasting your energy
>arguing an issue that nobody else is discussing.
>
> >Even if you'd add a list of
> >accomplishments attributed solely to the US that would be twice as long I
>still
> >think that it's not a justification to get so loud and self appraising.
>Others
> >have discovered and achieved just as much or even more.
>
>JDG
>__________________________________________________________
>John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685
> "The point of living in a Republic after all, is that we do not live by
> majority rule. We live by laws and a variety of institutions designed
> to check each other." -Andrew Sullivan 01/29/01
How about we pause in this debate for just a moment to clarify a couple of
things.
John says that the U.S. has quite a bit to be proud of. I think we can all
agree about that.
Kat says that the U.S. has quite a bit to be ashamed of. I don't think
anyone on the list will try to say that the U.S. has been perfect (Senator
McCarthy, anyone?).
Before the debate continues, can we all agree that there is some stuff to be
proud of, and some stuff to be ashamed of? With that being agreed, what
exactly is this debate about?
Reggie Bautista
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
_________________________________________________________________
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