Of flags, symbols and ......OP/ED
July 6, 2015 at 11:53 am
(This post was last modified: July 6, 2015 at 12:31 pm by Brian37.)
There are times in history when you look back, having any sense of compassion for your fellow human, you cringe at what humans do to each other. Genocide, slavery, bigotry, cruelty in war. But one thing about rightful victims, those in human history that are/were, still have far too much of a tendency to hide behind labels as much as they rightfully accuse others of doing to justify cruelty.
In a very literal sense it is why I condemn both Palestine and Israel, not for existing, but using labels as an excuse to see the outsider as "the other". When both say they are victims, they are both right. When both say they are the aggressors, again, they would both be right.
This leads me to America's history and my own fanship of the Washington Redskins, and also the Rebel Flag(never was into that flag). No, do not read this as a defense for either, this is merely to demonstrate that humans are humans and nothing in life is as black and white as humans want to make it. I know with gay marriage in my home state of NC, when it got voted on, black southern liberals who voted for Obama, also voted against gay marriage. And anyone can google the history of the horror of "The Trail Of Tears", and also why I'd be for removing Andrew Jackson from our $20. But, then there is this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_i..._Civil_War
NO, not to negate the horrors natives suffered from, but lets set aside even modern history. In polytheism even in antiquity, tribes fought each other in very brutal fashion, and it was quite common that the winner would talk the loser's property, and make them prisoners or slaves. Even in Italy, one can today, to and see Pompeii, and a dead slave girl holding the master's baby, from the 79CE eruption.
Even on the Continent of Africa, you have the same skin tones of Muslims and Christians, from Boka Harom to the Christian "Lord's Resistance Army" murdering each other. And even without violence, our species always has a tendency to see "the other" as an outsider. Having been married to a Japanese women, I can tell you she didn't like being confused with Koreans. I've also personally heard my fellow Puerto Rican, former co worker complain about Mexicans and he too didn't like being confused with Mexicans. I can say myself being white, I don't like non Americans associating me with the GOP. I may live here, but I certainly am not bound by my skin tone or nationality to always agree.
What is the point of all the above? That our species puts way to much value in objects and symbols, for or against. And we can and already can tell the difference between a bully, and someone merely falsely playing victim. We are the same species, we always have been. Humans have rights, objects and symbols do not.
In a very literal sense it is why I condemn both Palestine and Israel, not for existing, but using labels as an excuse to see the outsider as "the other". When both say they are victims, they are both right. When both say they are the aggressors, again, they would both be right.
This leads me to America's history and my own fanship of the Washington Redskins, and also the Rebel Flag(never was into that flag). No, do not read this as a defense for either, this is merely to demonstrate that humans are humans and nothing in life is as black and white as humans want to make it. I know with gay marriage in my home state of NC, when it got voted on, black southern liberals who voted for Obama, also voted against gay marriage. And anyone can google the history of the horror of "The Trail Of Tears", and also why I'd be for removing Andrew Jackson from our $20. But, then there is this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_i..._Civil_War
NO, not to negate the horrors natives suffered from, but lets set aside even modern history. In polytheism even in antiquity, tribes fought each other in very brutal fashion, and it was quite common that the winner would talk the loser's property, and make them prisoners or slaves. Even in Italy, one can today, to and see Pompeii, and a dead slave girl holding the master's baby, from the 79CE eruption.
Even on the Continent of Africa, you have the same skin tones of Muslims and Christians, from Boka Harom to the Christian "Lord's Resistance Army" murdering each other. And even without violence, our species always has a tendency to see "the other" as an outsider. Having been married to a Japanese women, I can tell you she didn't like being confused with Koreans. I've also personally heard my fellow Puerto Rican, former co worker complain about Mexicans and he too didn't like being confused with Mexicans. I can say myself being white, I don't like non Americans associating me with the GOP. I may live here, but I certainly am not bound by my skin tone or nationality to always agree.
What is the point of all the above? That our species puts way to much value in objects and symbols, for or against. And we can and already can tell the difference between a bully, and someone merely falsely playing victim. We are the same species, we always have been. Humans have rights, objects and symbols do not.
I'm surprised. I mean, you talk about how tribalism is bad but you have the pictures of ABBA's members as your avatar. Being a fan of a band is a sign of tribalism Brian.
