Re: [Gnu-arch-users] Re: [OT] facism gaining ground in US

[Ron Parker]

Firstly, I agree that *developed is ill defined and perhaps pejorative. 

Was Europe undeveloped because the Chinese had gun-powder before
Europe? Was China undeveloped because Europe (perhaps) experienced the
Industrial Revolution earlier? Was Babylon more developed than the
rest of the world because they had a far greater understanding of
things astronomical? Or was Arabia more developed due to a better
understanding of mathematics?

These are all really poor measures of things and valuing things in
such a way does not promote seeing each other as equals on the human
level. Rather it leads to the old poisoned attitudes of "noblese
oblige". Put into the vernacular, "We have to help these
poor-stupid-uncivilized hoards". (No, I'm not calling anyone that.)

I know I sure got aggravated when I got a response from one of my
congress-people along those lines. Paraphrased, "Your opinion doesn't
count because you don't really understand things.  It is my
responsibility to understand them and make the correct decision for
poor-uneducated you." ARGH!!!  Unless I am mistaken the office is
called "Representative" not "Overlord".

On Tue, 20 Jul 2004 19:37:47 +0200, nadim <address@hidden> wrote:

> How many un-developed countries have you visited? How did they treat you?

I won't try to determine which were "un-developed". But I have been to
about a dozen countries outside the USA which speak at least 10
different languages and have been treated very well in each and
everyone. On more than one occasion, I have found those in other
countries to be more hospitable than anywhere I have been in the US,
including the South. I've had them both laugh and weep on my behalf.

Although one of the funniest things I've heard was when an American
that was raised in West Germany, before the wall fell, told me that
Americans weren't so bad, because at least they were the second most
evolved of the species. Or when an Italian-American friend of mine
called his neighbor "a dumb ***". His mother nearly knocked his head
off his shoulders and pointed out that he was a "***" too. His
response? "Well at least I'm not a _dumb_ one." <???>