On Nov 28, 2004, at 9:54 PM, Damon Agretto wrote:
I find it striking that when the victims of bigotry start using the same language as the bigots, we're told "shame on you" or to ramp back the rhetoric, as though it's poor form for us to defend ourselves. I don't even buy the "you're no better" argument, because I didn't throw the first punch. It's the *oppressors* that are in the wrong here, not those of us who will use any force necessary to defend our rights and our lives.
That's because if you do, it stops seeming to be about social justice, and starts to be about *vengeance.*
What happens when a political coup trumps social justice?
It's not about defending yourselves, but about being the better person and not resort to the same harassing techniques the bigots use.
I disagree. I will keep the conversation civil as long as my life isn't under threat, but I've been fighting this battle considerably longer than you (I suspect), and I know downward trends when I see them. Institutionalized bigotry leads to murders. There's plenty of historical proof to back up that claim.
I advocate neutralizing the cancer before it spreads.
-- Warren Ockrassa, Publisher/Editor, nightwares Books http://books.nightwares.com/ Current work in progress "The Seven-Year Mirror" http://www.nightwares.com/books/ockrassa/Flat_Out.pdf
_______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
