The lesson of Orlando
Monday, June 13, 2016
The Orlando massacre tells us nothing about the killer save that he was insane, but it's telling us a lot about ourselves.
Just look at the politicians warning of islamophobia. The people virtue-signalling on Facebook. The triggered leftist storming off British TV because he thought the discussion was focussing on the terrorism angle rather than the hatred of gays. Donald Trump turning the horror to predictable political advantage. Give it a day and the gun control advocates will be complaining about the ease of buying weapons in America and the NRA will be calling for more heavily-armed homosexuals. Plus ça change...
We need to learn lessons but for that we need to open our minds. Every comment I have read so far is someone seizing on a new event as proof of the correctness of old ideas and the continuing wickedness of old adversaries.
If facts don't change our minds what is the point of having them? We might as well all curl up in a corner and live in our deranged imaginations whatever life we fancy. Or to take my ambiguous question the other way, why have minds if facts don't change them?
The fact is that we on the right of wherever the line is at the moment have always been willing to compromise. That is our mistake. The left never do so we give a slice at a time till they end up with what they want.
Why should we compromise again and again while they just scream and shout.
This is another bad case. Just accusing someone gets them investigated by the Stasi and they have to lose their job. People like this will always slip through the system. We will never manage to close the loopholes unless we live in prison. Why funnily enough they still get guns and drugs.
I'm fed up compromising.
Posted by: Lord T | Friday, June 17, 2016 at 12:28 PM
You are right. Reason won't work on those to whom "truth" has been revealed. That's as much a problem with Marxists and environmentalists as with the religious.
A little study of a person's faith or other irrational belief can be useful though. If a Christian were to propose killing a homosexual because of scripture, I would send him to his Bible to read where his God also says "justice is mine" or "judge not, lest ye shall be judged". I would tell him his God is omnipotent and omniscient. If He disapproves of gays He knows where to find them now or in the next life and is well equipped to deal Himself. It's actually rather insulting to think an omnipotent super-being needs help from frail, sinful humans and their institutions.
I don't need to believe myself to use his beliefs to help him towards the right thing. As Shakespeare said "the Devil can cite scripture for his purpose".
This is a quicker, easier and more effective approach than persuading him either to a different reading of the Old Testament or to give up his faith entirely. Now we have so many Muslims among us, maybe we need to pay more attention to Islamic scripture rather than just rejecting it out of hand or, worse, respecting it blindly on identity politics / PC grounds? Engage with it and if necessary oppose? I did a little googling and couldn't find any precise equivalent of Romans 12:19 but maybe a Muslim reader can help?
Posted by: Tom | Monday, June 13, 2016 at 05:26 PM
Not so long ago I would have dismissed as a deluded, tin hatter anyone that told me to look behind the event. To see if there was a hidden agenda, some one or some party benefited, or if it was a false flag being waved.
Especially if the good old US of A was involved some where along the line.
So I shall keep my own councel on this, refrain from public comments and try to ignore as much as I can the cries of the axe grinders.
Posted by: barnacle bill | Monday, June 13, 2016 at 04:29 PM
Most people are driven by faith / belief systems and as Jonathon Swift said in 1721:-
Reasoning will never make a Man correct an ill Opinion, which by Reasoning he never acquired.
And for when observation / facts forces a change in belief:-
For in the Course of Things, Men always grow vicious before they become Unbelievers. . .
Posted by: Bemused | Monday, June 13, 2016 at 02:31 PM