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Well, I say good for him for making an effort, and for not backing down. A "dose of the real world" just means that some idiot thugs beat him up and used religious differences as an excuse for violence. In reality there is no reason that these religions can't coexist. On any given day there are millions of instances of people of radically different belief systems coexisting without violence. These millions of instances do not make the news, of course. In general, only the instances of violence will make the news. But the millions of instances of peaceful coexistence are no less real, just because there are instances of violence as well.
Football (aka, soccer) fans in Europe often erupt into violence at games. Does this mean that people of different European countries can't coexist? No. It just means that a foolish tradition of violence has taken hold, and it might be hard to get rid of. Various traditions of violence between people of different religions and cultures are historically much older, and thus more entrenched in some people's minds, and thus very hard to change, but there is hard empirical evidence of the possibility of peaceful coexistence inherent in every act of kindness between people of different religions. Every warm smile, every peaceful exchange of cash at a grocery store, and every hug between families at an interfaith wedding proves that hatred is not the only option.
Last edited by Gaylenwoof; 02-10-2015 at 06:18 PM..
America gets weekly doses of the real world, but its liberal minds remain in denial.
This seems to be a theme in the several responses to the OP so far. I'd like to know more about this.
I have 3 questions:
Is this a fair representation of conservatives, in general? Are there are any conservatives reading this thread who want to offer a different conservative perspective?
What exactly are the liberal minds in denial about?
What is the proper reaction to an event like this? What is your solution to violence of this sort?
I also want to offer a bit more of my own perspective: As I see it, the primary actual cause of violence is virtually never religious or cultural differences, per se. These differences can act as excuses for violence, and they can, in some cases, "fan the flames", so to speak, but I would argue that in many instances of violence, the primary underlying cause is violence. Someone who is a victim of violence often has a tendency to become violent. Other primary causes of violence are greed and/or dehumanizing stereotypes. Most Americans who owned slaves were not violent toward blacks out of vengeance - in most cases, the blacks who they enslaved had never done anything that required retaliation. Women weren't burned at the stake during the years of the Inquisition because they committed violence; they were burned because they were dehumanized and thought to be "sleeping with the devil" etc.
To make a long story somewhat shorter: I don't think the best response to violence is to commit more violence, nor is it a good idea to reinforce stereotypes, nor does it help to dehumanize a category of people, nor is it useful to wail and moan about the hopelessness of ever trying to get along with "those people." Pessimism ensures failure. Optimism certainly can sometimes amount to false hope, but at least it is not a guarantee of defeat right off the bat.
I think the only rational response to violence is to do our best to stop future instances of violence by trying to find a non-violent response - a response that does not involve perpetuating hatred and dehumanizing stereotypes. Is this just me being a wishy-washy liberal? I'd be happy to hear some better ideas, if anyone is willing to offer them.
Last edited by Gaylenwoof; 02-10-2015 at 07:35 PM..
Good ole American Christian values. Showing their support for a guy who had a message of peace by spreading words of hatred.
Some things truly never change.
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