[Industrialblog,
January 18, 2005]
Patience
If you believe the fundamental underlying theme of human history is irony, then you'll agree we need to wait and see how things turn out when it comes to these brutal murders in Jersey City.
Did a Muslim do it, and thus commit the unpardonable sin in America*?
Or is this one of history's tricks where this time the seeming guilty are innocent but are punished?
Fortunately, we Americans are very good at waiting for the facts to come in.
* The unpardonable sin is bringing your ancient ethnic hatreds here.
Did a Muslim do it, and thus commit the unpardonable sin in America*?
Or is this one of history's tricks where this time the seeming guilty are innocent but are punished?
Fortunately, we Americans are very good at waiting for the facts to come in.
* The unpardonable sin is bringing your ancient ethnic hatreds here.
"Very good at waiting for the facts to come in"? That's pretty funny.
I doubt that they would get a good movie. People can identify with Italians, even if they're not italian. Identifying with muslims, though — I don't think that the requisite familiarity exists for that.
Even so, I think that you only have half a point on that. Such ethnic hatred are glorified when their participants dress well, but they're also disapproved of.
As to being good at waiting until the facts come in, I agree with you that I don't know what Bill is talking about (maybe he just meant it ironically). I don't know that I've ever heard of any human beings anywhere who are good at waiting until the facts come in, if for no other reason than very often if you wait that long you will have waited too long, and the archetypal jungle predator will have (metaphorically ) eaten you.
No, I didn't mean "waiting for the facts to come in" ironically. But I didn't mean "all the facts" either. When Chairman Mao was asked what he thought the impact of the French Revolution was, he said "it's too soon to tell." [but in Chinese.] I'm not saying what Mao said. I'm saying Americans are pretty patient.
I mean, I didn't see us burning Muslims in the streets post-Sept. 11. Compared to how most countries would've acted, we behaved very well.