Posted on 11/11/2001 5:35:19 PM PST by AM2000
I've been on Free Republic for over two years now, and I believe this is my first, and hopefully my last, vanity.
Before I get into the reasons I'm writing this, I'd like to say a few words on how FR has metamorphosed the way I look at the issues that shape the age we live in. Prior to "discovering" conservatism on the Internet, I was a liberal. By default. I didn't have any real political opinions, so I pretty much followed the crowd. Being an American of South Asian descent and living in the North East, I don't have to tell you what that means. I believed guns were bad, abortion was good and Republicans were evil racists.
Then along came FR. I still don't remember how I got here in the first place - I think it was via usenet, but I don't remember for sure. Suffice it to say, I found FR and was intrigued. I suspect most Freepers who find Free Republic, find it comforting - the knowledge that there are so many others out there who feel as they do must be nice. For me, it was interesting and intriguing. A portal, if you will, into a world I did not know existed. Being what I call a "liberal by default," I did not have the instinctive hatred of conservatism that ideologues on the left very often do. I just knew that Republicans were bad; I had no idea how prominent an issue abortion or gun control played in the conservative agenda. Calling myself a liberal by default is perhaps a tad gracious - an ignorant liberal would be more apt. But, I digress.
When I came to FR, being the ignorant liberal that I was, I had nothing to add. For a while, I merely lurked. Then, it occurred to me that I did know something that most on this forum did not know about. Having grown up in an Asian household, having spent many years in that part of the world, Asia was something I knew a lot about. My perspective was different from the usual viewpoints available on FR - which are from individuals associated with the military and commercial liaisons this country has with that part of the world. My perspective was one derived from almost being one of them. Even though I was born in this country, my parents are immigrants, so as a child I was immersed in our ethnic heritage. When I would go back, sometimes for very long periods of time (the longest being years), they treated me like I was one of them. Being in that position, I saw and heard things many Westerners who go there in military or commercial capacities do not. It was this perspective that I tried to use on FR. Most of my postings, from the beginning, have been on Foreign Affairs, because I believed - and still do - this is the only area where I actually have something original to say. On most other topics - and I am a voracious reader of posts on FR on most subjects - I read and learn.
Now, for the real reason I'm writing this - the current war on terrorism. I had family and friends who were in the vicinity of the Trade Centers when they were brought down. Terrorist acts are commonplace in today's world, but never before has anything of this scale been perpetrated, atleast not in modern memory. The atrocities of the 11th touched us all, including myself.
So now, we're at war - and rightly so. We're bombing Afghanistan. Again, rightly so. There is palpable anger among the American people, directed at the perpetrators of this terrorist act and the people who sympathize with them. At the risk of sounding repetitive, rightly so.
However, there is something very disconcerting about the manner in which this anger is sometimes expressed. Raghead, towelhead, subhuman filth. I've heard it all, and while I understand the anger, I know for a fact that the people who use language like this quite often can not differentiate between the people who did this and the people who did not, but look like the people who did. I laud free expression, and I believe political correctness should not stand in the way of calling a spade a spade - but that does not, in my mind, justify the use of language that is racially loaded and serves no useful purpose in our war on terrorism.
The objective of free expression, and of the resistance to popular political correctness, is to be able to speak the truth as it is. Unvarnished, unpolished truth. What I fail to see is how racial epithets directed at the people of a certain part of this world, meet that objective. If anything, they serve to inhibit individuals who are from that part of the world, even though they may have the same opinions vis a vis the politics of the Taliban, as a mainstream American conservative. They alienate people who may otherwise be in a state of mind that makes them perfect candidates for a much needed introduction to the conservative world-view.
Also, racial/cultural/ethnic slurs are inaccurate, and a discourse laden with racist terminology will never lead to a meaningful conclusion. They muddy up already murky waters. When what is needed is clarity of vision, they fog things up with irrational prejudices against the wrong people. Racist speech not only hurts the conservative cause, it is detrimental to the war effort itself.
Lastly, I'd like to say this. If we insist on fighting a moral and just war, then it is incumbent upon us to conduct ourselves morally and in a just manner. Spewing hatred against those who have nothing to do with Al Qaeda is not moral and it certainly is not just. There is a real enemy out there. Let's try and fight it without alienating half the world.
Thanks for listening,
AM2000
Ah,Ah,Ah, some people may be offended by that remark.
You have to understand, that a lot of the people here are just venting anger. The acts of September 11th were and are horrifying. If we could be in those planes, if we could be dropping those bombs, that anger might be eased. You are right that racists posts do nothing to help solve the problem, but words are all some people have in order to vent the horrible, smothering anger that results from watching innocents being slaughtered. There is also the betrayal from people who conveniently forget about all the times we have taken their sides in issues and instead focus an unreasonable hatred toward us. It's a natural reaction, when you are the target of hatred, to reflect that hatred back. It's called survival. For years we've turned the other cheek, and now we seem to have run out of cheeks.
To conclude - you have a great style and it is easy and interesting to read. I think you just ran out of gas at the end - you could have said so much more. Well - maybe next time?
And I have used these derogatory terms in recent weeks - but I will not again. Thanks for the reminder!
That is exactly what I am afraid of. A lot of people in this country are angry, and every now and then this anger turns into misdirected hate at other Americans.. and like you said, the natural reaction is to hate back. End result, you have Americans hating Americans, and all because some people directed their hate at the wrong people. All I'm saying is, we need to identify and isolate the enemy; and not let our hate drive those who are not the enemy, into enemy camps.
I do hope you understand that the entire Muslim world despises the U.S.. Not solely just the radicals. There is no tolerance for infidels...
Look at history. Islam is a violent, and dangerous cult with a complete disregard for human life.
Phone call from this single female who I've been after for a while *grin*.. it broke my concentration :)
Never fear what people say, you have to watch what they do. This is a world of the mind, remember that.
We Americans grieve a lot about slavery in our own country's past, but the more I learn about Islam, the more I understand how the Muslims were able to sell their own people into slavery to the west with no guilt -- even today. And whereas America's own Christian heritage (and no, I am not a Christian), created a country that eventually had to come to grips with the inherent inhumanity of slavery, I think that Islam has never created a culture that recognized its horror.
Indeed, if the history I have been reading is correct, the prophet Mohammed was nothing more than a typical totalitarian thug -- a rapist, a murderer, a conquerer and a despot. From what I have read, and also from watching the deafening silence of the world Muslim community in actively condemning the 9-11 attacks, it appears that Islam is utterly at odds with the concept of individual human rights.
I have come to believe that "moderate" Muslims are only so in countries where they are in the minority. Once they gain majority status in a country, they strive for an oppressive Muslim government that has no concept of human rights.
Granted, I am no Islamic scholar, and I have not studied the Koran. But I have read a lot about Islam in the past two months. And what I have read has left me very doubtful that Islam can co-exist peacefully with Western civilizationover th elong haul.
And if we are forced by this circumstance to make a choice, I think that humanity is much better off leaving Islam on the ashheap of history in favor of Western civilization. Because truly, if Islam has made a single contribution to the betterment of the human condition in tha last thousand years, I have yet to discover it.
It has been especially frustrating with so much of the war being conducted covertly.
Now that public successes can be seen the racist rhetoric should be reduced.
As you say, it hurts many good people.
Well AM, I guess I will try to explain. I am posting this below a statement that suggests I use no racism or violence in posting. What you desire is already a rule. However, as a conserevative who was also once a liberal, I can tell you that much of political sensitivity is really thought control with a nicer sounding name. A people are really not free if everything they say or write must be capable of being held up to the lens of political correctness. So once in a while a "racist" joke pops into my mind. Sterotypes of the races can be humourous. If you don't agree, check out how sensitive you are being before making the acquisation of racism. Likewise the use of drisive terms for our enemy can be understood under the present situation.
A camel jockey or towelhead merely states that they are from the desert regions of northern Africa or the areas of ancient Persia.
Jap was used to describe our enimies in world warll. today the term is just as likely to mean Jewish American Princess (spoiled girl child of Jewish parents). Again this is more of a jovial description than a slam. Jock is a slang term for an athelete.
Americans have a great propensity to give everybody or every group a slang name : ie. Hobo, GI, Gyrene, Flyboy, Nerd, Swabie, "Boyscout" Dingbat, Prepie, Skirt, Slim, Curly, Baldy, Red (someone with red hair), Bicuspid butcher (dentist) etc.,etc., etc..
Welcome to the club.......
Of course! Every AM should have his FM! :)
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