Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Responsibility
Today Ed Cone points out that Hamilton College has canceled Churchill's speech. I, of course, got excited momentarily because I thought it was an historic lecture from a member of the staid Conservative's family lecturing on how the old gentleman saved the Western World.
But alas, Ward Churchill would probably shame his namesake with his view of the world, and rightfully so. To compare the practitioners of capitalism with the enforcers of Nazi anti-Jewish policies is not only absurd, it's criminal and strikingly similar to the arguments the Arab apologists made when justifying the 9/11 attacks.
Nevertheless, the reason we should listen to Mr. Churchill is not to give credence to his dumb (!) points of view or even to 'nobly' stand for freedom of speech (Battle Hymn of the Republic in the background); rather, we should listen to him because his craziness is the same nonsense as that which is coming from so many others in the world. Take this dispatch from Turkey on the genetic predispositions of the American psyche.
When will we realize that we have done very little to change or influence this negative image? Ever?
Perhaps our only real genetic predisposition is lack of humility.
But alas, Ward Churchill would probably shame his namesake with his view of the world, and rightfully so. To compare the practitioners of capitalism with the enforcers of Nazi anti-Jewish policies is not only absurd, it's criminal and strikingly similar to the arguments the Arab apologists made when justifying the 9/11 attacks.
Nevertheless, the reason we should listen to Mr. Churchill is not to give credence to his dumb (!) points of view or even to 'nobly' stand for freedom of speech (Battle Hymn of the Republic in the background); rather, we should listen to him because his craziness is the same nonsense as that which is coming from so many others in the world. Take this dispatch from Turkey on the genetic predispositions of the American psyche.
When will we realize that we have done very little to change or influence this negative image? Ever?
Perhaps our only real genetic predisposition is lack of humility.
# posted by Michael Christopher : 11:31 PM
Furl It