Posted on 09/06/2004 6:04:03 PM PDT by aculeus
An excellent column. I grew up in the NY Tri-State area and remember the repercussions from the Kitty Genovese murder for years after it occurred. I did not know that the author lost his hands to the Unibomber.
Correction on his wounds, which I saw downthread.
The only time we hear the word duty from our Democrat friends is when some moral poseur like JF'nK uses it.
read later
In fact, that bigotry was the mechanism that the Nazis and the Italian fascists and, for that matter, every xenophobic totalitarian employed in consolidating power by defining both internal and external non-tribal enemies. It is an explanation for the anti-Semitic nature of many of the Soviet bloc governments, who owed their very originations to Jewish and ex-Jewish intellectuals. It is strong, unreasoning, and has at its core a set of received truths that defy evidence. It captured the campuses in the 70s and the Democratic party shortly thereafter.
Bigotry is intensely seductive to the lazy and to those who are simply overwhelmed by the complexity and pace of contemporary events. And they vote with the tribe because it is too taxing to do otherwise and not to do so is to surrender control of events to the other tribe. American politics has always contained this element and it is perhaps a bit more prominent as a result of what has evolved into a two-party system. It is, fortunately, not a permanent feature, but while we're in it it's profoundly unpleasant.
I agree that "racism" is inaccurate. "Bigotry" does it for me.
PING
Bump! You've pinged me to his articles but until now I haven't read them. Now that I read a few, I know why you pinged me! Thanks.
Ping to an interesting read!
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