Comments on: Focusing On The Important Shit II

by: asfo_del

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 07:57:33 +0000

I don’t think this is a guilt-inducing post nor do I think that was its intention. I do think people tend to have a guilty, knee-jerk reaction when they’re reminded that something they’re doing has repercussions, and they respond by bristling: “It’s not my fault! I didn’t start it! Why don’t you blame those who have done something worse?” It may be a childish reaction but it’s probably inevitable when one wants to be able to keep doing what they want to do and not have to feel guilty about it. The adult response would be to acknowledge participation and responsibility without attempting to make excuses. Guilt is beside the point. No one leads a perfect, pure life. Where people tend to go wrong is in trying to alter their values to make them conform to their actions instead of simply acknowledging that their actions are not perfect, but their values are too important to ditch.

The reason why we care about social injustice is a function of our basic decency and humanity, it’s not out of guilt. I don’t think any of the activists we most admire would say they fought for justice because they felt guilty. These are political issues and practical issues, not moral issues. Instead of wasting energy on feeling guilty or being offended (by the perception) that one has been made to feel guilty, we need to look at issues as clearly as we can and set aside our own vanity and egos.

Thank you for writing this post.

by: Uncle Fucko

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 04:40:10 +0000

Don’t hate the player, hate the game.
That’s my take on this.

by: CaptainBooshi

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 17:48:52 +0000

First, I’d like to thank you, Chris, for writing this post. I hadn’t even heard of this war until a few days ago on Abstract Nonsense, and this is post really helped to flesh out some of the details I didn’t know about. I’ve only been interested in politics for the last few years, but I’m still surprised that I’ve never heard of this.

One thing I’d like to mention to everyone reading this that one thing they can do is talk about this more often. I have no doubt that A LOT of people were like me, and had no clue about any of this.

Finally, to Uhura and a few others, I’ve seen a few people mention this, but it bears repeating. I agree that self-determinism is necessary, and no government can be built depending on the benevelonce of other nations, but there is one thing we can do, which is to stop Western corporations from fucking up places like the DRC even more. I’ll even go far as to say it is our responsibility to hold them in check. There is a big difference between stopping ourselves from screwing Africans over and giving handouts to African nations.

by: Alon Levy

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 17:05:18 +0000

Uhura, it’s worth mentioning that the aforementioned Jewish nationalist you’ll meet is very familiar with the spectrum of Israeli politics. He’ll always be able to tell you he’s not a real fascist because the real fascists are those who openly advocate bombing civilian targets in Arab countries and who think Israel should get to expand “up to the Euphrates and the Tigris.” Again, ignore him just like you’d ignore a Leninist who says he’s not pro-totalitarian because Stalin was worse.

by: Uhura

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:12:39 +0000

I would like to edit my original statement about WHITE people to include the word “many” and make “mofo” plural:

MANY WHITE PEOPLE are delusional, arrogant, and disgusting. You see what you want to see, and experience social wrongs only to the extent that is comfortable and convenient for you because you get to be White in a White world, and if & when shit gets too hot or too personal-off you go to the safety of your proverbial home and lock the proverbial door.. “I think I’ll befriend a negro / hispanic today and try to get down to the bottom of things…�?…�?Don’t SAY that the Africans need to get their shit together.�? Whatever mofos.

I would also liek to add this: If you think MY anger is offensive, irrational, and unjustified…then you need to meet some REALLY PISSED OFF Black people.

And for ITS-I did not MISread the first post, I asked: So now that we all know about this, what are we going to do?

All of my other comments have been addressing something else entirely.

by: Robert M.

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 11:53:18 +0000

when someone oppressed makes a comment like that… assume it’s based upon valid experiences (note: not “assume it’s true�?, but that it’s fair for someone with those experiences to feel that way)

That’s where I screwed up. I know that Uhura’s statement was false, because I know people that don’t fit her mold (and I’d prefer to include myself in that category); my first reaction was to confuse “that’s incorrect!” with “your experiences can’t possibly support that conclusion”.

Racism is as endemic to American culture as misogyny, and just as likely to appear in casual conversation even with people you respect. I’ve had several years of seeing how racism affects my wife and friends, and it fuels my frustration with the shortsighted, racist policies (both foreign and domestic) that the conservative half of the country keeps pushing.

I agree with Uhura that self-determination is the key, and that unenlightened benevolence is unlikely to solve the problem. What do you all think about the sort of solution we pursued during the recent unrest in Somalia? What was good about it, and what was bad?

by: Hawise

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 08:54:15 +0000

Years ago, I was tutoring a young refugee from Eritrea in English. He was remarkable young man because in two years he had managed to overcome a lifetime of lost oppurtunities to begin a college education, while working in two strange languages. In his entire life before coming to Canada, he had not known a single day without war. He said that that was the strangest thing about North America, that calm and distance from war. He was the same age as I and yet he had done so much more than I.
One the point of racism, he had one fascinating observation that has stuck with me. He said that coming to North America he had no preconceptions about how he would be treated by whites, as he had never met one in Eritrea and so he took each encounter on an individual basis. What bothered him was how he was treated by black North Americans, he said that they always rejected him when he couldn’t feel for their suffering and how they seemed not to hear him when he talked about Eritrea and the situation there. He was amazed by the gap in understanding and it was one thing that I couldn’t help him with and I knew that I couldn’t. What I did learn that racism is much more nuanced than most arguments would make it and that the problems of Africa would not be solved on the backs of those types of arguments.

by: Alon Levy

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 02:03:12 +0000

Uhura, let me clue you in about something. If you ever hear a Jew talk about the need to support Israel no matter how destructive its policies are, don’t take him at his word. When you bring up Palestinian self-determination, he’ll call you an Israel basher; when you persist, he’ll call you an anti-Semite. Don’t surrender a square inch of territory to him. When he calls you an anti-Semite, lash out; call him on his deep irrationality, his smug sense of superiority, his inability to consider the fact that the gamut of political views on the I/P conflict doesn’t run from moderately pro-Israeli to extremely pro-Israeli. Once he’s called you an anti-Semite for disagreeing with him, there’s no turning back; he’s revealed himself to be too fanatical for rational discussion, in which case all that’s left is to ensure the audience realizes that he shouldn’t be taken seriously.

by: John Palmer/Longhairedweirdo

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 02:00:16 +0000

Robert M:

It bothers me to be dismissed as arrogant and disgusting by someone who knows nothing about my experiences or circumstances–I’ve been called out for unconscious prejudice before, by intelligent and righteously angry people of all stripes, but never by a total stranger.

Well, now you know a bit about how racism feels.

And you and Uhura are both worthy of respect, and able to deal with each other, and in the fullness of time, things will be fine. Or, at least one of you isn’t worthy of respect, or you two can’t work together, and there’s not much point in being upset long term about that.

I’m not trying to dismiss what she said as not being a rude shock to many folks (and there was a time it would have been to me, as well), but think of this:

when someone oppressed makes a comment like that, if you assume it’s based upon valid experiences (note: not “assume it’s true”, but that it’s fair for someone with those experiences to feel that way), maybe you have a chance to learn something. Or, maybe not.

If you assume it’s *not* based on valid expereiences, you’ve definitely removed any chance you had to learn anything.

by: magickitty

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 00:06:40 +0000

And hey, guess what? I’m not white!