Posted by zeugma on April 20, 2006, at 10:02:05
In reply to Re: blocked for 2 weeks » Dr. Bob, posted by Damos on April 19, 2006, at 19:15:08
< to suggest that there may be some New Zealander out 'there' somewhere who may be offended is really a bit much when what was being said was that; "I who am one won't be offended, and I who know more of them than any of you ever will don't know one that would be either." You are basically telling this person that *you* know better. And that is simply not true. How far do your idiosyncratic civility rules and the 'boundaries' of babble extend? As an Australian who knows plenty too, I can't think of one who would be either.>>
hello Damos.
at the risk of generalizing (which I had sworn I would not do in numerous earlier versions of this post) you may well be right about Australians/ New Zealanders, and I would be the last to say you were *wrong.* But America is so polarized at the moment, that people who may question American policies themselves might display heightened sensitivity to critiques emanating from others about America. I started a much earlier draft of this listening to the words of an American political figure that in their vacuousness offend me more than the diatribes of a thousand critics of American policy. But so polarized is this nation that no doubt many listening found them sensible and civilized utterances. In a country where opinion is so bitterly divided, feelings are on edge constantly. That is why it hard to say things civilly on the Politics board. If I quoted those words that I find vacuous- no doubt others would object that I had no right to think that it was civil to quote them and then describe them as vacuous, since someone, somewhere might find them informative and sensible.
This is the polarized reality of political discourse here. I hope these words are explanatory, at least.
((special k))
-z
poster:zeugma
thread:633260
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20060412/msgs/635215.html