Keith and 3WD
Keith wrote...
i think that the institutions that were attacked and the hegemony they
represent are essentially a social value. the military, economic and
political control of the world is more hegemonic and less democratic than
has ever been the case in my short life. the locus of power is concentrated
in so few hands it is almost the divine right of kings all over again.
many terrorist actions and the great majority of opposition to US/UK led
imperialism around the world is rationally based. the relative evil is the
people in power in the US/UK and elsewhere (IMF, World Bank, WTO); the
relative good is the opposition to these forces of control.
the religious question - as is so often the case - is a smokescreen and
simplification that appeals to the simpleminded and fuels fundamentalism.
Right. Economic and military institutions are features of the social level.
Didn't mean to suggest otherwise. (assuming your comments are directed at
me.) I also agree that there are good rational reasons to oppose
Anglo-American hegemony, although I wouldn't go so far as to say that
terrorist actions themselves are rational. (But kudos to you for having the
guts to say that.) While there is certainly such a thing as rationally based
unconventional warfare, I don't think the 9-11 attack can be considered as
such. It was so symbolic that it represents something like mythological
thinking. They destroyed the perfect symbols of economic and military power.
On that level, it was brilliant. But as an act of war it was relatively
ineffective and highly immoral. Not sure what you mean about the religious
question. Are you refering to my comments about reactionary ideologies? If
so, how is it simpleminded and how does it fuel fundamentalism?
Thanks for the welcome, 3wd. I'll disagree with your claim that the MOQ
accomodates political and religious views without bias. Pirsig praises
Lincoln, Ghandi and MLK and he describes Fascism as anti-intellectual
reaction, as social values gone mad. I think its easy to see a certain bias
in that and it doesn't take too much imagination to extrapolate his
political views where more moderate ideologies are concerned. Plus I saw a
Ralph Nader bumper-sticker on his car. Just kidding.
And this is for Keith, 3WD and anyone who might be interested. There is a
very interesting little test you can take that will put your political views
in perspective. (Keith, aren't you the one who calls yourself a socialist
libertarian? The test puts Ghandi right there too. A good place to be.)
Anyway, check it out for your self. It only takes about ten minutes.
http://www.politicalcompass.org/
DMB
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