Uh huh, okay, thanks!

On Aug 10, 12:41 pm, Jean Briscoe <[email protected]> wrote:
> Xemphobia  The violence of Fear and Hate:  Jammie Bordeau-
> Nyamnjyah,Francis B. insiders and outsiders:  Citizenship And
> Xenophobia in Contempory Southern Africa,London,England
> Zed Books 2006.  Ouelletle Jeanning,  And A Day without Immigiants:  Ralling
> Behind America's New Commers.
>
> On Tue, Aug 10, 2010 at 12:33 PM, Jean Briscoe 
> <[email protected]>wrote:
>
> > When foreigner's come from other countries's and your nation has big
> > changes in this area their are many concerns and fear's.
>
> > On Tue, Aug 10, 2010 at 12:17 PM, Jean Briscoe 
> > <[email protected]>wrote:
>
> >> Do you think it is right and limited.  That is The neighborhood belongs to
> >> the culture that it occupies?  It is somewhat new to me of this outlook.  I
> >> geuss a person without a land and a culture is left out.  No country,no
> >> place.  And could this cause fear?
>
> >> On Tue, Aug 10, 2010 at 8:23 AM, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >>> That is exactly what the Cultural Evolution thread is basically all
> >>> about; people finding groups of like thinkers without regard for good
> >>> or bad, positive or negative.   It's the old adage Birds of a feather
> >>> flock together.
> >>> It is also the basis of much of gruff's xenophobia in that the more
> >>> groups increasing in number that are incongruous with others the more
> >>> potential there is for fear which can lead to violence.  The
> >>> neighborhood belongs to the culture that occupies it.
>
> >>> On Aug 9, 10:05 am, Jean Briscoe <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>> > I enjoyed what you said and it is well put.  Sometimes a verification
> >>> let
> >>> > some know that others think somewhat the same way.
>
> >>>  > On Mon, Aug 9, 2010 at 9:40 AM, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>> > >  ..............how do we confront a level of fear that
> >>> > > allows us to get past it and function more fully without stripping
> >>> > > away that portion which keeps us from being vanquished by the world?
>
> >>> > > As individual units we can adjust our sense of fear accordingly and
> >>> > > within the parameters of our environmental circumstance but as a
> >>> > > global society I don't see anything changing for the better or for
> >>> the
> >>> > > worse.  Global fears would have to be replaced with global trusts in
> >>> > > order to circumvent what seems to have been the mode de jeur for
> >>> > > centuries.  Private gated communities have established a secluded
> >>> > > sense of trust within the confines of the community but the presence
> >>> > > of the gates themselves indicate the distrust of all that lies beyond
> >>> > > the perimeter.  Fear has grown over the past several years with the
> >>> > > ever growing terrorist threat. Neighbors are increasingly looking at
> >>> > > others around them as potential threats as homeland security pushes
> >>> to
> >>> > > expose homegrown terror.  The economic landslide, post the subprime
> >>> > > mortgage scenario, is a wake up call for many who never thought they
> >>> > > had anything to fear; losing home, job and a good life is a reality.
> >>> > > Meanwhile millions of illegal immigrants continue to leach off the
> >>> > > public coffers further depleting the resources that once sustained
> >>> the
> >>> > > country.  George Bernard Shaw  “You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’
> >>> > > But I dream things that never were; and I say, “Why not?".   This in
> >>> > > all reality can change things but I'm not sure that people are still
> >>> > > capable of dreaming and bringing those dreams to fruition.  We have
> >>> > > become sullen and morose and complacently waiting for things to
> >>> change
> >>> > > on their own or trusting others to make the changes.  Soap box
> >>> > > politicians are still leading us down the path of delusion without
> >>> any
> >>> > > real change and we are stuck in a quagmire of stagnation politics.
> >>> > > The whole of it needs revamping as is the case with any revolution.
> >>> > > Governments wield the power to make real change but have only
> >>> indulged
> >>> > > those in the world of high finance and capitalist gain; I think
> >>> > > capitalism breeds fear. From Pat in another thread: ".........there's
> >>> > > a moral wealth
> >>> > > that is completely ignored by the ruthlessness of applied capitalism.
> >>> > > Capitalism divides society into 2 parts: the rich and the poor.
> >>> > > Socialism, to some extent, tries to redress the balance and bring
> >>> that
> >>> > > excess 'wealth' back into a useful form for society's poor.  If
> >>> > > America doesn't try to protect the well-being of its own poor, then
> >>> > > they will be forced to defend themselves against an enemy government,
> >>> > > and, the Declaration of Independence, whilst NOT the Constitution,
> >>> > > still lays down a framework granting justification for such a self-
> >>> > > defence if presented with "...a long chain of abuses and usurpations
> >>> > > pursuing, invariably, the same object, evinces a design to reduce
> >>> them
> >>> > > under absolute despotism...".
> >>> > > As a proponent of capitalism I don't think you would agree with the
> >>> > > premise or the outcome but for sure it is or should be considered as
> >>> > > one element underlying the climate of global fear.
>
> >>> > > On Aug 8, 2:01 pm, gruff <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>> > > > Sure, times are tough for the average person but that’s no reason
> >>> to
> >>> > > > get nasty about it.  I know it’s legend that people used to be much
> >>> > > > nicer to each other but I’ve no idea if that legend has any
> >>> validity
> >>> > > > or basis in reality.
>
> >>> > > > I can believe that rural folks were much nicer to each other and
> >>> more
> >>> > > > concerned with each others welfare.  But the country was much
> >>> bigger
> >>> > > > and our population much smaller back then.  That lack of crowding
> >>> led
> >>> > > > to conditions that made people behave better toward each other
> >>> (with
> >>> > > > some exceptions as we shall see.)
>
> >>> > > > Back in that day, people in a rural community also had the same
> >>> > > > background, heritage, religion and values, which lent to a common
> >>> > > > concern for each other.  Today most communities, even some of the
> >>> more
> >>> > > > rural ones, are a homogeneous mix of race, culture, religion and
> >>> > > > values, all of which tend to make people a bit more wary of each
> >>> > > > other.  Or at best it makes them distant from oneself.  Makes one
> >>> more
> >>> > > > stand-offish.
>
> >>> > > > If there is one significant characteristic all species seem to
> >>> share
> >>> > > > it is a general xenophobia – a fear of anything unknown or new, a
> >>> fear
> >>> > > > of strangers.  Many blame it on being driven from heaven but
> >>> > > > regardless it’s source, as we have with so many of nature’s
> >>> built-in
> >>> > > > protections, our species has taken xenophobia to heretofore
> >>> undreamed
> >>> > > > levels.  We even create things to fear – vampires, ghouls and such.
> >>> > > > And there are far too many of us even to afraid to look themselves
> >>> in
> >>> > > > the eye in a mirror.   It took me till I was in my late thirties
> >>> and
> >>> > > > had some therapy under my belt to accomplish that little feat.
>
> >>> > > > I can believe some of the legend of nice people because I can
> >>> recall
> >>> > > > times when I would be overcome with an urge to perform some
> >>> > > > spontaneous act of kindness and the response was generally thanks
> >>> and
> >>> > > > gratitude or at the very least a smile and a nod.  Today when I try
> >>> a
> >>> > > > gratuitous kindness I am too often looked at with suspicion – as
> >>> > > > though I had some hidden agenda.  I don’t do it very often anymore.
> >>> > > > I’m no hero.
>
> >>> > > > Our politics these days seems to run more on hate than I can
> >>> remember
> >>> > > > in seventy years of the stuff even though I only paid attention for
> >>> > > > the last two decades.  Sure, politics is the arena most likely to
> >>> > > > evoke emotional reactions but anymore it seems like those emotions
> >>> > > > boil over into a darker place in us.  One that removes all trace of
> >>> > > > concern for each other and replaces it with aggression, fear, lies
> >>> and
> >>> > > > hatred.
>
> >>> > > > Yet these facets of human behavior are not too hard to understand.
> >>> > > > After all we’ve come from a very frightening past and certainly
> >>> still
> >>> > > > carry a lot of those fears with us.  But there is a new dimension
> >>> to
> >>> > > > our xenophobia, a new level we’ve taken it to that is beyond
> >>> anything
> >>> > > > rationally acceptable as a survival instinct.  In spite of commonly
> >>> > > > available knowledge we fear differences in each other that we know
> >>> (or
> >>> > > > should know) are false.
>
> >>> > > > But to borrow a Gumpism, fear is as fear does and most frequently
> >>> it
> >>> > > > is fear itself which drives itself to higher levels of intensity.
> >>> > > > Remember Roosevelt’s admonishment?  “We have nothing to fear but
> >>> fear
> >>> > > > itself.”  I don’t think many realized the eternalness of that
> >>> truth.
>
> >>> > > > Lies are virtually always rooted in fear which accounts for the
> >>> > > > overwhelming number of them being floated about these days.  Fear
> >>> of
> >>> > > > not appearing a certain way, fear of not being what we think we
> >>> should
> >>> > > > be, fear of accepting responsibility, fear of the consequences of
> >>> both
> >>> > > > acting and inaction.  Fear drives most of Madison Avenue’s best
> >>> > > > creations: Fear that you smell, that you don’t look good, that your
> >>> > > > teeth are not white enough, that your skin’s not smooth and blemish
> >>> > > > free, that your medical condition needs a cover up, that you need
> >>> the
> >>> > > > newer drug, that your children are too fat, too thin, too
> >>> disturbed,
> >>> > > > too talkative, too … anything.  Superficial fears all.
>
> >>> > > > A new aspect to commercials I’ve noticed is the disdain they show
> >>> for
> >>> > > > civil behavior: the shopper who leaves her no longer wanted pain
>
> ...
>
> read more »

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