[Platt] What house is "that" house? [Arlo] The house we were involved in the sale of, where the co-sellers pulled the house of the market (which is illegal, by the way) so as not to allow it to sell to a black family.
[Platt] So the black is hired because of his skin color, not his competence? [Arlo] No, competent blacks are awarded some advantage to compensate for the otherwise disadvantegous, racially-biased playing field that exists. Its not a perfect solution, but until the xenophobic idiocy of "race" is dismissed once and for all, its a necessary evil. And that's where we are. Call me when this changes. [Arlo had said] No, the original claims was yours, that "blacks" step to the front of the line more often than they are denied opportunity. Let's see some evidence. [Platt] Affirmative action laws. You just suggested above that such laws were effective. [Arlo] What evidence do you have that "affirmative action laws" push more blacks to the front of the line, than our racial society denies them opportunity? And I'm not sure I'd say these laws are "effective", as we still are obviously dealing with a lot of xenophobic morons, but until all people are judged solely by their competence.... er, strik that, judged by whether or not they are a _good_ person, I see no recourse but to support these laws. [Platt] Geez, on top of everything else you're a postmodernist who believes it's a fact there are no facts? [Arlo] And I roast children on open spits! Actually, one could make a strong argument for Pirsig being a "postmodernist". So I am happy to be in that camp. "The intellectual level of patterns, in the historic process of freeing itself from its parent social level, namely the church, has tended to invent a myth of independence from the social level for its own benefit. Science and reason, this myth goes, come only from the objective world, never from the social world. The world of objects imposes itself upon the mind with no social mediation whatsoever. It is easy to see the historic reasons for this myth of independence. Science might never have survived without it. But a close examination shows it isn't so." (Pirsig) I agree. [Platt] Of course. Qualified scientists always seek to support hatred. Yeah, right. [Arlo] No, "qualified scientists" operate within the paradigm they accept. Many "qualified scientists" argued (continue to argue) that the world is flat. Many "qualified scientists" argued back in Plato's day that the world was composed of "fire" or "change" or "atoms" or whatever. Many in Nazi Germany argued that science proved the inferiority of the Jews. [Platt] Why don't you tell that to Wikipedia? If you want to bury your head in sand it's your problem, not the problem of "us all". [Arlo] I don't take Wikipedia, nor any other singular source, as the end-all word on anything. I can tell you that years of reading sociological, psychological, anthropological and socio-cultural studies indicate far more evidence that the embodiment of fear is socially constructed. Now, you may argue that "fear", like "love" or "joy" or "sadness" are hardwired human emotions. Perhaps I might agree to let that stand. But the embodiment of these emotions, what we love, what we fear, what makes us happy, what makes us sad, are derived from social-cultural assimilation. Of course, personal experience is part of that, someone bitten by a dog may develop a fear of dogs, but general fears are created and transmitted by social custom, language, and structure. That you "fear" may be genetic., that you "fear blacks" is the result of ideological propaganda and a racial-oriented society that seeks scapegoats in the "other". [Platt] Oh. So now Ham and I are "evil," like all who believe in and want to protect individual freedom. [Arlo] No, you are evil for your continued use of distortive and vile rhetoric. Ham is simply wrong (in my opinion), and while may stroke the "individual" incessantly, I would not call Ham evil at all, just a guy with a different metaphysical base. I find him somewhat arrogant about music, but then I'm sure I come across arrogant about my love of the Sex Pistols. And here, as if on perfect cue, is another wonderful illustration of that evil, moronic rhetoiric, "all who believe in and want to protect individual freedom". Yep, I think all people who believe in individual freedom are evil, Platt. You nailed it. Just me and my big, bad "lib" plot to enslave the world. Damn you freedom loving conservatives for spoiling my nefarious agenda! [Arlo on using sarcasm] Highlights the vulgarity and despicable nature of your rhetoric. But you're likely right, I probably don't need to do it, since it is rather self-evident. [Platt] So don't. [Arlo] Don't say moronic things like you just did above and I won't have to. Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
