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The Atlantic Rift | 47 comments (47 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: Great diary (none / 0)
Another is that the concept of dignity seems to not be understood.

BINGO.

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire

by p------- on Wed Feb 1st, 2006 at 11:11:18 PM EST
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Re: Great diary (none / 0)
Funny, this is the exact part of the statement I was somewhat taking exception to.  The fact is that a lot of humans don't act very dignified most of the time, but that's not to say they don't understand or respect it.  

Not to give Sven or you a hard time, but saying a culture doesn't understand the concept of dignity is a classic form of the ol' us v. them rhetoric.  I've heard it too often applied to the poor, to women, and to minorities to let it slide by as a generalization.

Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding. -Hobbes

by Izzy (izzy at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Feb 2nd, 2006 at 12:27:52 AM EST
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Re: Great diary (none / 0)
I've heard it too often applied to the poor, to women, and to minorities to let it slide by as a generalization.

Really? I was actually thinking about mainstream culture.  I suppose it is true that we make it difficult for women and minorities to realize their self-worth.  But I think they, of all people, understand the concept of dignity simply because they spend more time dealing with the implications of being refused it.

It is the people who watch reality tv that I fear are completely ignorant of the value of dignity.  People don't dig through trashcans for food or work flipping burgers because they have no dignity.  They do it because they have to.  But no one has to watch American idol, much less, try out for it!  That's where having no dignity comes in.


Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire

by p------- on Thu Feb 2nd, 2006 at 11:32:17 AM EST
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Re: Great diary (none / 1)
I wasn't talking about self-worth.  I was saying that the tactic of saying one culture or group doesn't understand the concept of dignity is a not uncommon practice that's always meaningless and often offensive.  It doesn't matter if you're making the accusation against the mainstream or not.  As to the bit about the poor, I'll quote Cesar Chavez:

"Do not romanticize the poor...We are all people, human beings subject to the same temptations and faults as all others."

And it's just silly to generalize about the "mainstream" population based on whether they watch American Idol which, like Survivor is a re-make of a British show.  Does that make the British people incapable of understanding the concept of dignity?

There's plenty wrong with our culture.  There's also plenty wrong with people in general.  But there's nothing "exceptional" wrong with American people, although it would be nice to think so given the terrible things some of them are doing right now.  

I keep reading people being upset about American exceptionalism, but it seems to me they're helping perpetuate the notion if they say Americans are exceptionally anything -- good or bad.  Why don't we just admit that people are all the same instead of bashing each other, and then maybe we can figure out how to deal with these truly bad things that go on when the leaders are bad.


Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding. -Hobbes

by Izzy (izzy at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Feb 2nd, 2006 at 02:23:24 PM EST
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The Atlantic Rift | 47 comments (47 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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