The Dink Network

Reply to Re: Let's talk power

If you don't have an account, just leave the password field blank.
Username:
Password:
Subject:
Antispam: Enter Dink Smallwood's last name (surname) below.
Formatting: :) :( ;( :P ;) :D >( : :s :O evil cat blood
Bold font Italic font hyperlink Code tags
Message:
 
 
April 17th 2016, 02:54 AM
peasantm.gif
shevek
Peasant They/Them Netherlands
Never be afraid to ask, but don't demand an answer 
As a physicist, you'd know of the law of conservation of energy
I am not talking about power as defined by physics. I thought that was obvious from my definition. Also, in physics negative energy happens all the time. But as I said, that's not important.

We're talking about who is to blame for the problems we have in our lives. I say that people who have bigger problems themselves (such as laws making it illegal for them to exist) use all power that they have or can command to fight those problems. That means that they do not have any power left to make your life hard, and therefore they are not the cause of any of your problems. Do you disagree with this?

why is it that you go to the USA and openly criticise things there instead of accepting that these things are "your problem" in a similar fashion to Egypt?
Didn't you notice I complain about Egypt as well? But yes, it is my problem. That I don't like what they do here is also my problem. That doesn't mean I can't complain about it.

Besides, I'm using the US as an example, because the situation here is worse than in the Netherlands, but as far as I can see this is a world wide phenomenon. I'm just complaining about the US.

Would you not tell me to shut up if I went to The Netherlands and criticised Zwarte Piet or bicycles?
No, I wouldn't. I'm happy to have such discussions with foreigners. But in the end, you don't have a vote in the resolution, just like I have no vote in matters in the US (or Egypt). And that's fine.

Again you seem to be attributing blame for radical Muslims to external factors rather than the individual's choice.
Not "rather than", but "in addition to". This is a matter of statistics. If you make conditions such that people are more likely to become terrorists, then statistically more people will become terrorists and I blame you for that. Of course I also blame every individual person who actually makes that choice. But the person or government who pushes them in that direction is also partly responsible for the outcome.

If you are to accuse me of criticising all Muslims then I may as well wear it and say that yes, they are all to blame for this by being incapable of criticising their own theological underpinnings in their holy book as well as the actions of Prophet Mohammed as being a major inspiration for the horrible actions they commit.
But what you describe there, the inability to critically look at their holy book etc, is not true for all Muslims. That's my whole point. Many of them are just as religious as many Christians: they say they are, they go to their church/mosque, and most of the time they don't care about it. And they don't commit horrible actions.

it's haram to talk to or look directly at someone of the opposite sex without a male relative.
You imply here that you are male. I have nothing against that, but I note that your icon says female, so you may want to fix that.

My rather scathing and sceptical view of Islam was heavily contributed to by what a school friend of mine eventually ended up doing.
Converted people are usually the strictest. But you understand that one person misbehaving doesn't imply that two billion people are all like him, right?

it's fair to deliberately disadvantage a blameless "white" person to forward the interests of a black person entirely along racial lines.
I'm not proposing to disadvantage him, I want to take away his unfair advantage. I can understand that it feels the same, but it is very different.