Saturday, August 06, 2005

Argue the Issue, not the Antogonist

There seems a backlash occurring against criticism of Western culture. While I feel this is deserved and long overdue, the West's ability to self criticize and be criticized has played no small part in its rise to preeminence in the world. In fact I think the success of the rising backlash against those overly critical of Western Civilization is due to Western Civilization's quick adaptation to criticism. If we are wrong then we wish to correct it, that simple. That has often meant that wrongs committed by Western governments have been given disproportionate attention. Exactly because we will listen and evaluate the claims. I don't see why this should change. I get a chuckle when haters of Western Civilization find themselves advancing against positions long since vacated. What should change is the double standard with which too much latitude is given foreign cultures. For too long tolerance has been confused with acceptance.

2 Comments:

Blogger Always On Watch said...

You wrote, "I get a chuckle when haters of Western Civilization find themselves advancing against positions long since vacated." I agree! Past tense should put past and abandoned positions in the past, where they belong.

Arabic, however, doesn't have a true past tense, at least not in the sense that English speakers understand. I believe that linguistics shapes thinking. If so, that statement would go far to explain why OBL refers to "the Andalucian atrocity," or the Reconquest of Spain--over and done with by 1492.

8/22/2005 06:57:00 AM  
Blogger pilgrim said...

AOW has hit on something important there. No true past tense? How can a culture grow if it has no past to learn from?

8/22/2005 08:33:00 PM  

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