[kj] Recent KJ ethnocentric diatribe

[Mark Kolmar]

Geordie's statement from 1986 and my comments had nothing to do with
how the situation came about or who was to blame.  If you had read
beyond the first point, you would see I admire the Ethiopians for
courage in the face of grave challenges.  Ethiopia, as you may recall,
was a hot topic around the water cooler at the time.  That's like
saying we single out people in Sudan these days for having the
gumption to endure genocide.  If people who commit genocide are
criminals of the highest order (or lowest as the case may be), that
doesn't make victims faultless in all ways.

I have noticed the political right cannot understand ambiguity or the
multi-faceted nature of things.  For example, I expect to see
complaints from right-wingers that some on the left are upset that Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi's death might improve Bush's standing in the polls.
Most of those left-wingers will also be glad that a terrorist scum has
met his fate.  But people on the right can't comprehend that both of
those things can be true, when they seem to conflict.

Similarly, I have noticed the political left does not understand that
sometimes it is appropriate to examine one thing in isolation or in
the abstract.  It is also possible to raise questions and to consider
and re-consider ideas you might take for granted.  I would be stupid
to leave my car unlocked and running with the keys in it.  But that
does not give justification to the thief who steals it.  As I said, I
disagree with Geordie because you can't very well allow your culture
to die out when people are going hungry at the moment.  Whether or not
it is a certain form of cruelty to bring a kid into a life of
malnutrition is not a defense of any other form of cruetly, nor a
reason to give up on the future.

--Mark

On 6/9/06, Papa Lazarou <circuit_bender at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> So global warming, foreign involvement, and a corrupt Ethiopian government
> had nothing to do with the Ethiopian population starving? Why isolate just
> one culture/nation when the issue was/is surrounded by so many other Global
> factors?
> The only truism is that people fuck. I am sure Geordie likes to. He mocks
> issues that are the consequence of a restriction of education and knowledge,
> and the collapse of colonial Africa.
>
>
> Mark Kolmar <mkolmar at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 5/31/06, Alexander Smith wrote:
> >
> > I believe even Geordie has made his fair share of cringe-worthy
> statements.
> > I seem to remember him saying something about how Ethiopians are being
> > irresponsible for breeding or something.
>
> I used to have a photocopy of that article, from 1986. The general
> effect was to say the Ethiopians were bringing new people into a
> condition of misery and starvation just for a fuck.
>
> A few points here:
>
> First, you must remember political correctness had not yet taken the
> kind of solid hold it has on so many (especially) left-leaning people.
> Geordie's statement was shocking because it is an obvious truism,
> stated indelicately.
>
>
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