[lit-ideas] Re: 21. century European anti-Semitism
- From: Scribe1865@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2004 12:23:46 EDT
In a message dated 4/19/2004 3:14:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
mccreery@xxxxxxx writes:
At a level of abstraction so high that the claim is essentially
vacuous, of course. The only thing that keeps a psychopath from
claiming that he is only resisting cultural invasion is the need for at
least one other to share his views. Racism and homophobia are now
criminalized because they conflict directly with the proposition that
all human individuals should have equal rights to, in Jefferson's
words, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The terms carry
a specific force in this context and this context only.
___________
I wasn't interested in what a particular sociopath claimed about his or her
crime. I was interested in our phrasing of the crime, and how we position what
is essentially a common human experience--fear of, and violent defense against
what is strange or unusual--in little subordinate categories like homophobia
or race crime.
As for John's claim that racism and homophobia conflicting with the
proposition that "all human individuals should have equal rights," that is as
at least
as vacuous as my statement.
All violent crimes deprive people of their rights. Or perhaps John feels that
certain violent crimes do not directly conflict with "equal rights"
formulations?
Eric
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