Jeffrey Miller wrote:
> Christopher Gwyn wrote:
>> Darryl Shannon wrote:
>>> Christopher Gwyn wrote:
>>>> 1.) Do you agree or disagree that citizens of the People's Republic
>>>> of China are all - each and every one of them - fully human in all
>>>> respects?
>>>> 1A.) If you do agree that '*they*' are 'fully human', >and therefore
>>>> 'think like everyone else', then why do you suggest that "we don't
>>>> know how *they* really think"?
>>> Listen, Christopher, I think you are being silly here.
>> I don't.
>>
>>> Did you honestly not understand John's point, that public opinion
>>> cannot be accurately determined in a totalitarian state?
>> it was not clear to me that that was his point. it seemed likely to
>> me that that was what he was meaning - but it was _not_ what he said.
>>
{snip}
>>> Did you HONESTLY think he meant the Chinese people are sub-human? You
>>> are better than that.
>> Do I think that he meant to imply that? No, and I never said I did.
>> Do I think that he came too close to saying that? Yes, much too
>> close.
>> Do I think that his word-choice was influenced by the congruence
>> between his perception of the People's Republic of China as a
>> fundamentally different political _system_ (an 'other') and the
>> culturally supported perception of 'other races and cultures' as
>> fundamentally different from 'real people'? Yes. I have run into this
>> sort of 'not racist, but' speech for all of my life and I am pretty
>> darn tired of it.
> I think it's pretty unfair and disrespectful to try to paint John with a
> racist brush.
Read over what I've written once again. I never accused John of
racism. Obliquely pointing out that something comes too close to
sounding racist is not accusing someone of racism, nor is it accusing
them of saying something that was racist - it is only saying that
something comes too close to sounding racist. The fact that someone
doesn't mean something in a racist manner does not guard them from
perception or misperception that he or she is speaking in a racist
manner. Racism is very deeply rooted in the English-speaking world
and in much of humanity - even much of the rhetoric and actions used
to combat racism are flooded with racist assumptions.
> Try discussing the ideas instead of defaming the other person.
Discussing the ideas is Exactly what I am attempting to do.
Cheers,
Christopher
--
Christopher Gwyn
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
