Simon: to use a phrase like 'unwashed Arab masses' nailed it
for me..
Okay, look at the word "unwashed." It means the regular
folk, the unsophisticated, the mob, the plebian, the
rough-cut, salt-of-the earth, Joe Sixpack, average people.
Every nation has its unwashed.
Go to an Alabama trailer park, the Bronx, Sao Paulo, go to
Islington and you will encounter "the unwashed."
Examine the specifics. According to a UN study sponsored by
the Arab League, Middle Eastern nations ranked extremely low
in education, access to information, rights for women, and
other indicators of development. In some cases, the stats
were on par with sub-Saharan Africa. (I can track this study
down when I have more time or you could do it yourself.)
In other words, the Middle Eastern nations (for a variety of
reasons that are for the moment irrelevant) have a higher
than average proportion of "unwashed." Phil is referencing
this group, which is not a racist fantasy but a demographic
fact, and you somehow conclude that this nails your
assertion that he is a racist.
I suspect you are confused on this point. As a caution,
directed not necessarily to you Simon, here's David Foster
Wallace again:
http://tinyurl.com/6y4ta
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