--- In [email protected], "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
snip > (Terminology is interesting. "Pro-TMer" isn't > considered disparaging by either those who support > TM or its critics, yet "anti-TMer" evokes howls of > outrage from the latter. And while "anti-TMer" is > considered offensive by the critics, it doesn't > bother them at all to label the pro-TMers > "TBs/True Believers.") ******** This is an astute observation. For example, I occasionally use the True Believer or equivalent lable, while at the same time I usually reject the anti-TM label when applied to yours truly. The moral equivalency of labels is usually an uncomfortable topic for those who like to use them. On the other hand, it doesn't necessarily follow that what we might call the "truth content" of the labels is equivalent. As I'm sure you are aware, it's much easier to be impartial about topics in which we are not personally involved. If, for example, we were having a discussion about a group of Christian fundamentalists that was experiencing fragmentation and schism over the years, we would probably be able to identify familiar roles being played out. Furthermore, we would probably have no difficulty accepting the prevailing view among educated people that the hard core membership of the organization is likely to be more narrow-minded and paranoid than the membership at the fringe, and tend to view them more negatively than anyone else would. True believership is a well-documented phenomenon, and is usually associated with some form of cognitive or development deficit. Having said that, it is also only too true that those outside the core are often blind to their own prejudices and negative thinking. In effect, their thought processes are virtually indistinguishable from the TB's. What a beautiful universe. L B S To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
