Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 (Denver Mods 7/26/84) 6/24/83; site drutx.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!mtuxo!drutx!dlo From: dlo@drutx.UUCP (OlsonDL) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Re: America-bashing Message-ID: <3268@drutx.UUCP> Date: Wed, 17-Jul-85 17:14:24 EDT Article-I.D.: drutx.3268 Posted: Wed Jul 17 17:14:24 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 18-Jul-85 08:06:44 EDT Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver Lines: 47 >From: csdf@mit-vax.UUCP (Charles Forsythe) >>It's not image that is important. One can pin labels such as >>ignorant on people, but if their ignorance has no adverse >>consequences, people probably won!'t and shouldn't care. >> >> >> Mike Sykora >Image is what we were discussing. Somebody was upset at the suggestion >that the rest of the world hates America. They wrote a long letter about >how wonderful we really are. Maybe it's true, but it's our image that >counts in this situation. A friend of mine returned from England and >told me: >"Depending where you are, Russia and America are first and second on the >list of the most hated country." >Food for thought. >Charles Forsythe A few questions (no answer required; just think about it): Is the hate justified? Does it, in turn, justify attacks? Can those who hate us be made to like us instead? Even if it is possible, is it up to us to make it happen? I know a man who was walking down the street in broad daylight when someone attacked him from behind. He wasn't robbed, just beaten. Besides being hurt and scared, he was also bewildered. He was wondering why someone hated him so much just to drop out of the clear blue sky and start beating on him. He had no idea whether it was something he said, did, or did not do. This happened several years ago, and he still doesn't know. Does that make him ignorant? Even if he found the reason, does it justify the attack? Would he deserve to be saddled with some guilt trip by someone who thinks that he must have made his attacker angry? To stop this sort of thing from happening again, is it up to him to change in order to accomodate his attacker? Nonsense. The point is that I think it is rather naive to believe that people who are attacked must have deserved it; that becoming nicer or more docile will insulate you from hate. These opinions belong to anyone who wants to claim them. David Olson ..!ihnp4!drutx!dlo "To laugh at men of sense is the privilege of fools". -- Jean de la Bruyere