On Thu, 13 Sep 2001 02:53:44 -0700 (PDT), "Jesse C. Chang"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Sridhar Dhanapalan wrote:
>
> > Perhaps this _is_ just "something that every teenager goes through". I have
> > never really disputed that, and I never will. However, I _did_ provide
> > evidence in support, and I believe it is quite ridiculous when someone
> > posts the equivalent of "you're a moron", without saying why.
>
> Yes, that does get frustrating. I've pretty much given up on arguments
> such as those. :)
>
> > I never expected everyone to agree with me. I merely intended to offer an
> > alternate viewpoint from the standard one put forward by much of the media
> > and by many governments worldwide.
>
> Ah, but you did it with a statement tantamount to "I know more than you."
> That's much more than merely offering an alternate viewpoint.
I obviously did not intend that, and perhaps I could have worded things a little
better :-)
> > Most people don't specialise in government and international relations. Most
> > people don't read books, articles and journals on these topics very often,
> > if at all. Therefore, it is difficult for most people to gain a real grasp
> > of the situation. _This_ is the simple point I was trying to make.
>
> Yes, and that is why I have not disputed most of your points regarding
> such things. However, despite what you seem to think, there is much more
> to learning than poring through books. Books give you knowledge, but
> experience gives you wisdom, including the wisdom to think beyond "standard
> Western neoliberal thinking," no matter where you live or were raised.
> _Experience_ does not offer only one viewpoint; _an experience_ does.
> There is a difference.
>
> > Would you argue with a doctor over medical treatments? No, because doctors
> > generally know much more than the average person in the field of medicine,
> > due to training.
>
> Um, you're 19. Unless you're the Government and International Relations
> version of Doogie Howser, you're the equivalent of a second year pre-med
> student, not a doctor. :)
It was merely an example. I obviously _did_ exaggerate it to make my point
clearer.
> And to continue with that analogy, I've known
> pre-med students who knew less about anatomy and biology than I knew when
> I was in high school. So how much you know, or think you know, does not
> really matter, because you never know who is going to know more than you.
> Therefore, it really is not a good idea to present your points from such
> an authoritarian standpoint.
>
> In other words, perhaps much of the backlash you have received is more a
> result of how, not what you said. Present it in a different way, and
> maybe more people would have taken it the way you intended. Those that
> aren't completely blinded by patriotism, at least.
My original aim was simply to get people to _think_ about things and not make
rash decisions simply based on instinct and emotion (patriotism, shock, etc.),
_not_ to convince them that I am right. I have accepted constructive criticism,
such as yours, with open arms, and I shall continue to do so.
> Well, it's a possibility, anyhow.
>
>
> Jesse, now two degrees removed from the relevant topic of this list...
Thank you for your candid comments.
--
Sridhar Dhanapalan.
"There are two major products that come from Berkeley:
LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence."
-- Jeremy S. Anderson
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