Thursday, October 08, 2009

Friday, February 10, 2006

Headlights on 24/7 - Mon - Fri 13th - 17th 2006

Hi y'all

Please forward this email to EVERYONE you know who wishes to use his brain freely.

SUPPORT CULTURAL INTEGRITY AND TOLERANT PERSPECTIVE

SHOW OF NUMBERS

HEADLIGHTS ON 24/7 NEXT WEEK MONDAY TO FRIDAY (13th to 17th)

- Why ?

Because Muslim don't OWN the WORLD.

We reject their threats against us.

Islamic culture and dogma don't define global culture.

And they look funny with those funny head things and sound like my granddad in the shower (only at 6am - Aaaahhhaaaaggallala)

and another 10 reasons, I just cannot think of ...

Islam Watch

Cosmopolitanism, multiculturalism, democracy and the freedom of the press.

About 2500 years ago wise and honourable men struggled and gave their lives in support of the 'polis' and the 'kratos',or rule of the demos, the people of the deme, democracy. This should have been a fatal blow to blood factions, tribalism and groupings which hindered egalitarian advancement of mankind, but still individual groups offer a stumbling block.

The recent incident involving publication of information contrary to Islamic dogma illuminates the status quo. The reasoning and intention behind the publication of this material is contentious, but my research shows the following.

The backdrop in context, the location Denmark,180 000 Muslims in 5.4 Million population of most liberal society in Northern Europe which is important and easy to overlook, and the bigger picture of global relations viz a viz the Islamic world, eg Palestine, Iran and Iraq amongst others.

In recent times Islamic reaction to the exercising of freedom of speech had created a 'block', incidents like the murder of two Dutch journalist for their anti-muslim opinions and death threats for 'propogating and spreading evil and wickedness', by Muslim standards, like those driving Salman Rushdie into hidding.

This situation is the scenario into which a Danish journalist dared enter the fray. Also bearing in mind the Denmark, and the history of Danish anti-establishment, pro-humanist libertarian anarchist progressive movement, like the 'new-bohemian'-style occupation of military barracks in Copenhagen and the 'new-age' ideology contained therein.

This particular journalist, after learning of the islamic ban on the use of images depicting their prophet, decided to defy this ban and print material contrary to muslim dogma. He explains his intention as defying the 'self-imposing', fear and angst inspiring censorship that is wrought by the pressure of the Islamic world against any anti-islamic publication.

Whether he was fully aware of the current sensitivity of the Muslim world as regards their particular feeling of persecution, is not known. If he was, he could be seen as having little sensitivity to the plight of these people. This could in turn show anti-Islam feeling or a focus on his own exercising of rights. It is dubious whether he has a duty to consider and act according to the sensitivities of people anyway. Regardless, he invited artists to submit caricatures of the muslim prophet illustrating the stereotypes people had developed regarding Muslims through exposure to current world events via popular media, probably, Sky, CNN, etc. The cartoons showed the prophet in exaggerated military and 'terrorist' typing. Slanted and unflattering images, but validly reflecting the views various people had developed regarding muslims.

This incident again acted as a trigger. The Islamic world, currently 'raw' after western 'heavy-handed' treatment again displayed its reactive aggressive nature. Over-the-top and I'm sure beyond the imagination of the lowly Danish journalist.

The question is whether he acted beyond the bounds envisaged by those wise and honourable men who created the 'polis'. And whether he had the intention to insult, humiliate and hurt he is now being accused of.

Democracy is built upon communication. It is my belief that in exposing us to the ways of life of people in every part of the globe, to their political and their personal needs, we prepare the ground for accommodations among peoples that will make peace a more achievable objective and democratic forms of social organisation inevitable.

Seen in this light, the transmission of information is res publica, and beyond the aggresive vindictive censorship of ANY particular ideological group. The publication of information is therefore vindicated. Tasteless and insensitive maybe.

The South African decision to uphold an application for an Emergency Interdict to ban the publication is a worry.

I must explain cosmopolitan and multicultural society in order to make my point.

National multiculturalism is a failure, it cannot succeed. From Culture - (noun: all the knowledge and values shared by a society)or culture
"the tilling of land," from L. cultura, from pp. stem of colere "tend, guard, cultivate, till" (see cult).
The figurative sense of "cultivation through education" is first attested 1510. Meaning "the intellectual side
of civilization" is from 1805; that of "collective customs and achievements of a people" is from 1867.


It is important for people to see the difference between race and culture. A country can only have one culture. The ‘mother’ culture can protect the needs of minority cultures but they must be subordinate to the mother culture. Culture is independent of race. A multiracial society is achievable and is what South African is. However, culture enshrines a whole series of values which define the laws which govern us. All the citizens of one country must be judged by the same laws, therefore one culture must be pre-eminent and respected by all.

Various types of culture exist, global culture,national culture, local/regional culture, specific culture, and various sub-cultures.

Imposing your values and ideas upon another culture will either lead to rejection, assimilation or some form of tolerance or intolerance.

Rejection of a more widely held culture may lead to isolation and possible conflicts. However, assimilation of foreign and alien values and ideas is not imperative. Cognizance and tolerance thereof, however does make peaceful co-existence more likely.

A dogmatic isolated culture which segregates from other cultures AND rejects other cultural expression in a aggressive way will perturb other cultures. This sort of in-equilibrium will attract greater attention until a level of understanding leads to cognisant tolerance in peaceful co-existence.

I am a ‘blue-collar’ humanist, agnostic and libertarian anarchist, and I feel it important to mention this because I feel my views reflect my internalised absorption of sentiments across the vastest group of human population. This includes moderate muslims, a variety of social classes, the unemployed, working classes, professionals, global citizens, rural folk, family-centred types, the intelligensia and aristocratic upper classes. Essentially this group occupies the majority of illuminated ‘open-minded’, peace-loving mankind, and the bulk of the over 6 Billion that now make up our Global culture.

My views are augmented with years of international travel and ‘open-minded’ intent regarding global understanding. With a great gift of human communication exercised liberally and actively across these spectra.

With regard to Islamophobia, I want to make the following clear. I will use this anecdote. I currently suffer from two phobia’s. Mickeymouseclubphobia and Islamophobia . I am told that a phobia is an irrational fear.(noun: an anxiety disorder characterized by extreme and irrational fear of simple things or social situations)

I am prepared to work on the irrational nature of my mickeymousephobia because reality does seem to not support this ‘fear’. However, when it come to my survival, and my life in most basic terms, I am reluctant to ignore global events and reality in the process of ensuring my survival. The morbid terror I have experience in reality defy that. Get on public transport, a bus (in Cosmopolitan areas), board a plane, or merely live in urban society and tell me my ‘fear’ is irrational. Those killed in now almost countless numbers, in Tel Aviv, in London, Madrid, New York, East Timor 7/7 and 9/11 etc, etc, etc, as innocent bystanders beg me to consider the validity of my ‘fear’.

This is further supported by the recent chants in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where muslims chanted ‘Jihad, jihad. Boycott EU goods and punish the devils out there.’



To return to the current ‘trigger-point’ ( a furore use to stir anti-Western violent protest for political reasons), the publication of information contrary to Islamic dogma: -



The 6 Billion people of the planet earth have a right to global culture and the freedom of communication and this includes material contrary to the values of individual dogma, which are likely to be tasteless and inflammatory.



Material which should be censored should fall into a very limited category and those who decide on the GLOBAL boni mores (feelings of the people), should be representative of the global culture. Here something like child porn would be an apt example.



The further validation of this publication is found in the test of Truth and Public Interest. Clearly these images hold up the true stereotypes developed by their creators by means of their exposure to their various forms of information, culture and media sources. (And bear in mind this is a liberal educated and informed culture.)



Similarly, the Public Interest does dictate the clear right to this type of data. The fact that it illuminates the status quo viz a viz the Arab world, is vitally important for the public and global culture. Intelligent members of society will filter this kind of information and assign the necessary value.



Furthermore, the juxtapose is ludicrous. The duty of non-infringement of values and beliefs in a world with escalating splintered ideologies would place an impossible burden on the global culture.



And as to the rights of the muslims to defend and object. This goes without saying. This is the fundamental right to protest peacefully. However, ‘the type of protests that result in violence and people glorifying acts of murder and terrorism’(Tony Blair), cannot be accepted.



The Jang Group of Newspapers reports from London : ‘Kabul – Afgan police fire at a crowd trying to storm a US military base on Wednesday, killing three.. over cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) – This brings the number of related killings to 10 in Afganistan alone !



These current turmulteous and out of control displays of POWER, sadly reflect the Islamics Worlds weaknesses in regard to integration into the global culture, and reflect their base values regarding aggression, terror and unreasonable threats of revenge. (See Eastern Province Heralad (South Africa) Report of Cape Town Protests - '“The MJC leadership will inform the community what next needs to be done. If sensitivities are not taken into consideration, you’ll have havoc around the world.”')





When it comes to the media, and the freedom of speech. In the global culture we understand the failings of the system of mass and popular media, however we do not regard the media as the bearers of morality and custodians of fairness and equity. However, their freedom (even in theory) ensures that this RIGHT still exists.



I will not say Well Done, to Jyllands-Posten (and Charlie Hebdo) for their tactless display, however they must be regarded for their temerity. As French newspaper Charlie Hebdo rightly points out. ‘When extremist extract concessions from democracies on points of principle, either by blackmail or terror, democracies do not have long left.’ Philippe Val (Editor Charlie Hebdo-Paris)



In a global society hopefully aiming at peaceful co-existence and advancement of mankind, I agree with Tony Blair that there is a majority of Islamic people who are cognisant with, and tolerate global culture, as he points out, it will be a sad day when this majority is drowned out in the cocaphonics of the few who interfere with tolerant communications aimed at peaceful alliance.


Gregory G. Smith

Monday, November 14, 2005

Quotes

The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.
Ellen Parr

I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong.
Bertrand Russell

I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief.
Gerry Spence


The visionary lies to himself, the liar only to others.
Friedrich Nietzsche

Saturday, November 12, 2005

More Useful Sites

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(c_obertop@hotmail.com)

Friday, November 04, 2005

www.beyondborders.blogspot.com

www.beyondborders.blogspot.com

GOOGLEa72ee829b94fb700.html

GOOGLEa72ee829b94fb700.html

Friday, October 28, 2005

More Useful Sites

List of Sites

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Wikinews

Info

http://www2.parsons.edu/illustration/resources/inspiration.html

Link

www.infosauce.blogspot.com

Dictionary

www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm