From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Sat Jun 04 2005 - 13:59:08 BST
Dear Wim,
> I cannot judge whether the quotes from one NYT article by Richard Bernstein
> are representative of the quality of the newspaper as a whole. They were
> not so much 'record' in my opinion, but rather 'opinion', 'interpretation',
> 'analysis': gauging the meaning of recorded events.
Good point. The article I quoted came under the rubric of "News Analysis."
> Wouldn't the MoQ say that 4th level patterns of value are supposed to go
> off on purposes of their own rather than to go on supporting 3rd level
> patterns of value? Meaning that they try by definition to free themselves
> from 3rd level patterns of value as soon as they are not dependent on them
> any more. So to the extent that free movement of people is possible without
> threatening the 3rd level basis of 4th level patterns of value, it should
> be supported.
Agree. Our difference is a matter of emphasis. I see a threat to social
stability that you minimize.
> We once discussed before that with modern technology social
> security systems can be devised (and in the Netherlands increasingly work
> in a way) that doesn't burden them with recent immigrants. They don't have
> rights to social security and the system is able to discriminate between
> new immigrants and others. The fact that people project fears resulting
> from a stagnating economy on immigrants (i.e. make immigrants into a
> scapegoat) doesn't seem a valid reason to me to support immigration
> control. It IS a reason to better educate these people.
It's human nature to prefer one's own tribe to outsiders. I doubt if
millions of years of evolution can be overcome by "education."
> A lot of analyses
> of the referdum outcome in the Netherlands point out that the
> 'yes'/'no'-division was to a large extent along 'educated'/'relatively
> uneducated' lines... The towns where 'yes' won are without exception towns
> with a large cosmopolitan, well-to-do, highly educated, elite part of the
> population.
An arrogant attitude of "we elites know best." It was resentment of such
an attitude that spelled trouble for the left in our last presidential
election. This attitude contradicts the moral ideal of "equality" that
leftist pay constant lip service to -- a contradiction that is not
overlooked by the rubes out there in the "towns," or in the U.S, the "red
states."
Best,
Platt
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