This month, Stanford University students voted on a campus resolution that would have their college require a course on Western civilization, as it did until the 1980s.
Stanford students rejected the proposal 1,992 to 347. A columnist at the Stanford Daily explained why: Teaching Western civilization means "upholding white supremacy, capitalism and colonialism, and all other oppressive systems that flow from Western civilizations."
The vote -- and the column -- encapsulated the left's view: In Europe, Latin America and America, it loathes Western civilization.
Wherever there is conflict between the West -- identified as white, capitalist or of European roots -- and the non-West, the left portrays the West as the villain.
I am referring to the left, not to liberals. The latter generally venerates Western civilization. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, for example, frequently spoke of defending "Christian civilization." Today, the left would likely revile any Westerner who used such language as xenophobic, racist, and fascist.
The left similarly describes any suggestion that anything Western is superior to anything non-Western. Likewise, it dismisses virtually all Western achievements, but regards criticism of anything non-Western as racist, chauvinistic, imperialist, colonialist, xenophobic, etc.
That is why the left is so protective of Islam. America's left-wing president, Barack Obama, will not use, and does not seem to allow the government to use, the words "Islamic terrorism." And, criticism of Islam is labeled "Islamophobic," thereby morally equating any such criticism with racism. It is not that the left is sympathetic to Islam, for it has contempt for all religions. It is that many Muslims loathe the West, and the enemies of my enemy (the West) must be protected.
That is why the left loathes Israel. If the left actually cared about human rights, women's rights, gay rights, or freedom of speech, religion and press, it would be wildly pro-Israel. But Israel, in the left's view, is white, European and colonialist, or in other words, Western. And the Palestinians are non-Western.
So, the Big Question is, why? Why is the left hostile toward Western civilization?
After decades of considering this question, I have concluded the answer is this: standards.
The left hates standards -- moral standards, artistic standards, cultural standards. The West is built on all three, and it has excelled in all three.
Why does the left hate standards? It hates standards because when there are standards, there is judgment. And leftists don't want to be judged.
Thus, Michelangelo is no better than any contemporary artist, and Rembrandt is no greater than any non-Western artist. So, too, street graffiti -- which is essentially the defacing of public and private property, and thus serves to undermine civilization -- is "art."
Melody-free, harmony-free, atonal sounds are just as good as Beethoven's music. And Western classical music is no better than the music of any non-Western civilization. Guatemalan poets are every bit as worthy of study as Shakespeare.
When the Nobel Prize-winning American novelist Saul Bellow asked an interviewer, "Who is the Tolstoy of the Zulus? The Proust of the Papuans?" all hell broke loose on the cultural left. Bellow had implied that the greatest writers of fiction were Western.
Why such antagonism? Because if some art is really better than other art, your art may be judged inferior. The narcissism of left-wing thought does not allow for anyone to be better than you artistically or in any other way. Therefore, all art and artists must be equal.
In the moral realm, the same rejection of standards exists. Thus, the left loathed President Ronald Reagan for labeling the Soviet Union an "evil empire," because that would mean America was morally superior to the Soviet Union. And such a judgment was unacceptable. The whole left-wing moral vocabulary is a rejection of Western moral standards: "tolerance," "inclusion," "anti-discrimination" (by definition, standards discriminate), "non-judgmental," and even "income inequality," which deems some peoples' work more valuable than others.
Every civilization had slavery. But only thanks to Judeo-Christian civilization was slavery abolished there, and eventually elsewhere. Nevertheless, to speak about any moral superiority of Western or Judeo-Christian civilization is completely unacceptable, thanks to the left's stranglehold on education and most media.
In this regard, the protection of Islam by the left is so thorough that one cannot even say such obvious truths such as that the status of women has been far superior in the Judeo-Christian West than in the Islamic world. The veil women wear, for example, is dehumanizing. Yet, in a speech at the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America, a rabbi who, at the time, was the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said that a woman's voluntary choice to wear a head scarf "deserves our respect."
And finally, we come to the left's loathing of the religions of Western civilization -- the Judeo-Christian religions, which have clear standards of right and wrong.
Bible-based religions affirm a morally judging God. For the left, that is anathema. For the left, the only judging allowed is leftists' judging of others. No one judges the left -- neither man nor God.
I think Left and Liberal are one in the same. There is no difference in my opinion. Unless you care to explain that.
I always did too, which is why I was surprised at the comment.
flan
If you thought they were the same, what was the purpose of your first post?
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
And being responsible for one's self means you can't blame anyone else for anything.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
It absolutely DOES help to know the bias of the author:
Dennis Prager is a neoconservative radio host, professional tone troll, and conspiracy theorist who believes that the United States is a Christian nation, and that it's under attack from "secular leftists" who control the media, universities, public education system, and other institutions. Despite being a fairly extreme conservative, to the point of being a weekly WND columnist, he does moderate on certain issues such as abortion and, to his credit, he does seem to know quite a bit about religion and aspects of United States history.
Unfortunately, for every reasonable position he has he seems to say at least ten things that are either blatant lies or mind-****ingly bizarre. He is also notable for having one of the worst cases of psychological projection ever, even by wingnut standards and for possibly being a worse offender of Jonanism than Jonah Goldberg himself. He is well known for his opposition to "the left" allowing their "feelings" to get in the way of policy, but when policy hurts his "feelings" he loses his freakin' mind.
I think Left and Liberal are one in the same. There is no difference in my opinion. Unless you care to explain that.
I always did too, which is why I was surprised at the comment.
flan
If you thought they were the same, what was the purpose of your first post?
Because I don't presume to know everything. Maybe there is a difference. I just got back home.
flan
Uh huh.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
You want me to address the content? Ok, how's this for starters?
"That is why the left loathes Israel. If the left actually cared about human rights, women's rights, gay rights, or freedom of speech, religion and press, it would be wildly pro-Israel. But Israel, in the left's view, is white, European and colonialist, or in other words, Western. And the Palestinians are non-Western."
Canada is very 'left". We're one of the most pro-Israel countries in the world. This nut case has no idea what he's talking about.
“It’s hard to find a country friendlier to Israel than Canada these days. Members both of the coalition and the opposition are loyal friends to us, both with regard to their worldview and their estimation of the situation in everything related to the Middle East, North Korea, Iran, Sudan and Somalia. No other country in the world has demonstrated such full understanding of us.” -Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
-- Edited by weltschmerz on Sunday 1st of May 2016 02:48:29 PM
"Every civilization had slavery. But only thanks to Judeo-Christian civilization was slavery abolished there, and eventually elsewhere. Nevertheless, to speak about any moral superiority of Western or Judeo-Christian civilization is completely unacceptable, thanks to the left's stranglehold on education and most media.
ROTFLMAO!!!
So, who were the worst offenders? Maybe it was the Buddhists who brought all those slave ships to the western shores?
Are you bothered by it? Why? They is about as general as it can get.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
You want me to address the content? Ok, how's this for starters?
"That is why the left loathes Israel. If the left actually cared about human rights, women's rights, gay rights, or freedom of speech, religion and press, it would be wildly pro-Israel. But Israel, in the left's view, is white, European and colonialist, or in other words, Western. And the Palestinians are non-Western."
Canada is very 'left". We're one of the most pro-Israel countries in the world. This nut case has no idea what he's talking about.
“It’s hard to find a country friendlier to Israel than Canada these days. Members both of the coalition and the opposition are loyal friends to us, both with regard to their worldview and their estimation of the situation in everything related to the Middle East, North Korea, Iran, Sudan and Somalia. No other country in the world has demonstrated such full understanding of us.” -Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
-- Edited by weltschmerz on Sunday 1st of May 2016 02:48:29 PM
Obama has done a whole lot of damage.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
"Every civilization had slavery. But only thanks to Judeo-Christian civilization was slavery abolished there, and eventually elsewhere. Nevertheless, to speak about any moral superiority of Western or Judeo-Christian civilization is completely unacceptable, thanks to the left's stranglehold on education and most media.
ROTFLMAO!!!
So, who were the worst offenders? Maybe it was the Buddhists who brought all those slave ships to the western shores?
Sorry, this guy is full of crap.
And your problem with this is more about your hate of God than anything else.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
"Every civilization had slavery. But only thanks to Judeo-Christian civilization was slavery abolished there, and eventually elsewhere. Nevertheless, to speak about any moral superiority of Western or Judeo-Christian civilization is completely unacceptable, thanks to the left's stranglehold on education and most media.
ROTFLMAO!!!
So, who were the worst offenders? Maybe it was the Buddhists who brought all those slave ships to the western shores?
Sorry, this guy is full of crap.
And your problem with this is more about your hate of God than anything else.
Sure it is. That's all you see.
Are you saying it WAS the Buddhists who brought over all the slaves in chains to America?
"Every civilization had slavery. But only thanks to Judeo-Christian civilization was slavery abolished there, and eventually elsewhere. Nevertheless, to speak about any moral superiority of Western or Judeo-Christian civilization is completely unacceptable, thanks to the left's stranglehold on education and most media.
ROTFLMAO!!!
So, who were the worst offenders? Maybe it was the Buddhists who brought all those slave ships to the western shores?
Sorry, this guy is full of crap.
And your problem with this is more about your hate of God than anything else.
Sure it is. That's all you see.
Are you saying it WAS the Buddhists who brought over all the slaves in chains to America?
Maybe it was the Pastafarians or Scientologists?
See, even when I DO address the content, I get paranoid lip.
You`re the one who said `They don't know how." So I addressed it.
Still not good enough.
-- Edited by weltschmerz on Sunday 1st of May 2016 04:40:10 PM
Well, lily?
You're the one who said we don't know how to address the content of the OP. Why won't you answer the content of my question?
Don't know how?
It's rather disingenuous for the author to credit Judeo-Christianity for ending slavery.
Who brought the slaves here in shackles, if not for the Juseo-Christians? Who tortured them and mistreated them? Who?
Are you bothered by it? Why? They is about as general as it can get.
Are you on heavier drugs today than usual?
"They" is general??? Not in this case. Yet it's okay for YOU to take "somebody's child" personally?
flan
Why are you accusing me of being a drug addict? That is slander.
__________________
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
Well, lily? You're the one who said we don't know how to address the content of the OP. Why won't you answer the content of my question? Don't know how? It's rather disingenuous for the author to credit Judeo-Christianity for ending slavery. Who brought the slaves here in shackles, if not for the Juseo-Christians? Who tortured them and mistreated them? Who?
Judeo-Christians were the only ones?
No. They were not.
Are you still held to same standard of 200 years ago?
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
Weltz, are you saying you don't hate everything to do with God?
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
Well, lily? You're the one who said we don't know how to address the content of the OP. Why won't you answer the content of my question? Don't know how? It's rather disingenuous for the author to credit Judeo-Christianity for ending slavery. Who brought the slaves here in shackles, if not for the Juseo-Christians? Who tortured them and mistreated them? Who?
Judeo-Christians were the only ones?
No. They were not.
Are you still held to same standard of 200 years ago?
Name some Mormons/Buddhists/Atheists/Scientologists who imported slaves in chains on slave ships.
In any case, the same Judeo-Christians who favored slavery, are now being credited for abolishing it.
That doesn't sound "off" to you at all?
-- Edited by weltschmerz on Sunday 1st of May 2016 06:45:31 PM
Well, lily? You're the one who said we don't know how to address the content of the OP. Why won't you answer the content of my question? Don't know how? It's rather disingenuous for the author to credit Judeo-Christianity for ending slavery. Who brought the slaves here in shackles, if not for the Juseo-Christians? Who tortured them and mistreated them? Who?
Judeo-Christians were the only ones?
No. They were not.
Are you still held to same standard of 200 years ago?
Name some Mormons/Buddhists/Atheists/Scientologists who imported slaves in chains on slave ships.
In any case, the same Judeo-Christians who favored slavery, are now being credited for abolishing it.
That doesn't sound "off" to you at all?
-- Edited by weltschmerz on Sunday 1st of May 2016 06:45:31 PM
Importing slaves.
Tell me, didn't slavery take place 2000 years ago?
You want to address it as if it is new.
It isnt.
No. It wasn't only Judeo-Christians who used slaves.
__________________
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
Are you bothered by it? Why? They is about as general as it can get.
Are you on heavier drugs today than usual?
"They" is general??? Not in this case. Yet it's okay for YOU to take "somebody's child" personally?
flan
Why are you accusing me of being a drug addict? That is slander.
Oh, sweet Jesus. You take pain meds and your posts are making less sense than usual.
But I did can always use a laugh...
flan
There you go. Thinking you know something and making accusations.
I don't take pain meds unless I absolutely have no choice.
Acetaminophen is all I take on a daily basis.
It seems you just can not refrain from the personal attacks.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
You've posted before & stated that you were "high."
flan
I won't deny that I have used heavy pain killers. Prescribed and only when I have too.
You made it sound like I was a drug user.
You turned a conversation into a personal attack.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
Well, lily? You're the one who said we don't know how to address the content of the OP. Why won't you answer the content of my question? Don't know how? It's rather disingenuous for the author to credit Judeo-Christianity for ending slavery. Who brought the slaves here in shackles, if not for the Juseo-Christians? Who tortured them and mistreated them? Who?
Judeo-Christians were the only ones?
No. They were not.
Are you still held to same standard of 200 years ago?
Name some Mormons/Buddhists/Atheists/Scientologists who imported slaves in chains on slave ships.
In any case, the same Judeo-Christians who favored slavery, are now being credited for abolishing it.
That doesn't sound "off" to you at all?
-- Edited by weltschmerz on Sunday 1st of May 2016 06:45:31 PM
Importing slaves.
Tell me, didn't slavery take place 2000 years ago?
You want to address it as if it is new.
It isnt.
No. It wasn't only Judeo-Christians who used slaves.
Well, lily? You're the one who said we don't know how to address the content of the OP. Why won't you answer the content of my question? Don't know how? It's rather disingenuous for the author to credit Judeo-Christianity for ending slavery. Who brought the slaves here in shackles, if not for the Juseo-Christians? Who tortured them and mistreated them? Who?
Judeo-Christians were the only ones?
No. They were not.
Are you still held to same standard of 200 years ago?
Name some Mormons/Buddhists/Atheists/Scientologists who imported slaves in chains on slave ships.
In any case, the same Judeo-Christians who favored slavery, are now being credited for abolishing it.
That doesn't sound "off" to you at all?
-- Edited by weltschmerz on Sunday 1st of May 2016 06:45:31 PM
Importing slaves.
Tell me, didn't slavery take place 2000 years ago?
You want to address it as if it is new.
It isnt.
No. It wasn't only Judeo-Christians who used slaves.
Two tousand years ago? No. Not in the USA.
Again. You think only the Judeo-Christians used slaves or imported slaves.
You are wrong.
__________________
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
Well, lily? You're the one who said we don't know how to address the content of the OP. Why won't you answer the content of my question? Don't know how? It's rather disingenuous for the author to credit Judeo-Christianity for ending slavery. Who brought the slaves here in shackles, if not for the Juseo-Christians? Who tortured them and mistreated them? Who?
Judeo-Christians were the only ones?
No. They were not.
Are you still held to same standard of 200 years ago?
Name some Mormons/Buddhists/Atheists/Scientologists who imported slaves in chains on slave ships.
In any case, the same Judeo-Christians who favored slavery, are now being credited for abolishing it.
That doesn't sound "off" to you at all?
-- Edited by weltschmerz on Sunday 1st of May 2016 06:45:31 PM
Importing slaves.
Tell me, didn't slavery take place 2000 years ago?
You want to address it as if it is new.
It isnt.
No. It wasn't only Judeo-Christians who used slaves.
Two tousand years ago? No. Not in the USA.
Again. You think only the Judeo-Christians used slaves or imported slaves.
You are wrong.
You think only Judeo-Christians stopped it? You are wrong.
Well, lily? You're the one who said we don't know how to address the content of the OP. Why won't you answer the content of my question? Don't know how? It's rather disingenuous for the author to credit Judeo-Christianity for ending slavery. Who brought the slaves here in shackles, if not for the Juseo-Christians? Who tortured them and mistreated them? Who?
Judeo-Christians were the only ones?
No. They were not.
Are you still held to same standard of 200 years ago?
Name some Mormons/Buddhists/Atheists/Scientologists who imported slaves in chains on slave ships.
In any case, the same Judeo-Christians who favored slavery, are now being credited for abolishing it.
That doesn't sound "off" to you at all?
-- Edited by weltschmerz on Sunday 1st of May 2016 06:45:31 PM
Importing slaves.
Tell me, didn't slavery take place 2000 years ago?
You want to address it as if it is new.
It isnt.
No. It wasn't only Judeo-Christians who used slaves.
Two tousand years ago? No. Not in the USA.
Again. You think only the Judeo-Christians used slaves or imported slaves.
You are wrong.
You think only Judeo-Christians stopped it? You are wrong.
No.
But you asked if I thought they were the only ones bringing them anywhere.
__________________
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
These facts in no way negate the horrors and evil that was and still is, the slave trade. But those horrors in no way negate the truth and allow revisionist history to be written in order to gain <insert a number of different options>.
Western Civilization is not the sole evil in the world. Western Civilization did not create slavery but given the fact that the Arab and African worlds were still enslaving each other well after it did (Mauritania people), then you have to ask yourself WHY it is the only civilization on trial? Where is the moral outrage at the Asian slavery trade and racism that continues today? If we can't use Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel as an example of artistic perfection, then we sure as **** cannot use The Dome of the Rock. Because those guys were just as if not worse examples of human beings.
So again, what actually is the left getting by misrepresenting the past and misleading the truth? You have to ask why?
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“One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again.”
C.S.Lewis
Thank you, Ilumini. I was pretty sure slavery was around a long time before the USA was settled. Long, long history of slavery world wide. Ancient in history. Ancient.
__________________
I drink coffee so I don't kill you.
I quilt so I don't kill you.
Do you see a theme?
Faith isn't something that keeps bad things from happening. Faith is what helps us get through bad things when they do happen.
Thank you, Ilumini. I was pretty sure slavery was around a long time before the USA was settled. Long, long history of slavery world wide. Ancient in history. Ancient.
Right?
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America guarantees equal opportunity, not equal outcome...
Thank you, Ilumini. I was pretty sure slavery was around a long time before the USA was settled. Long, long history of slavery world wide. Ancient in history. Ancient.
Right?
And I'm pretty sure those warring African nations that sold their prisoners of war were not Christians. Just sayin'.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
Well, lily? You're the one who said we don't know how to address the content of the OP. Why won't you answer the content of my question? Don't know how? It's rather disingenuous for the author to credit Judeo-Christianity for ending slavery. Who brought the slaves here in shackles, if not for the Juseo-Christians? Who tortured them and mistreated them? Who?
Judeo-Christians were the only ones?
No. They were not.
Are you still held to same standard of 200 years ago?
Name some Mormons/Buddhists/Atheists/Scientologists who imported slaves in chains on slave ships.
In any case, the same Judeo-Christians who favored slavery, are now being credited for abolishing it.
That doesn't sound "off" to you at all?
-- Edited by weltschmerz on Sunday 1st of May 2016 06:45:31 PM
Importing slaves.
Tell me, didn't slavery take place 2000 years ago?
You want to address it as if it is new.
It isnt.
No. It wasn't only Judeo-Christians who used slaves.
Two tousand years ago? No. Not in the USA.
Again. You think only the Judeo-Christians used slaves or imported slaves.
You are wrong.
You think only Judeo-Christians stopped it? You are wrong.
WTF are you talking about???? You are 100% wrong. Such ignorance.
King Charles I of Spain was one of the first people in power to make any serious move to stop slavery. The Roman Catholic Church condemned the slave trade in the 17th century. William Wilberforce and many others were ardent Christians and the abolitionist movement was largely a Christian movement.
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I'm not arguing, I'm just explaining why I'm right.
Well, I could agree with you--but then we'd both be wrong.