Jack's satirical definition of Chauvinism:
"Belief of any Western White man that there is anything to be said for his country, civilization, race, sex, or self." (p. 27) (For full reference, see here.)
As a Western white man, I have never felt in any way diminished or threatened by anyone else asserting their rights.
I have heard it said, more than once, that, if we say anything against a black person, then we are called racists. Of course not. If a black man steals my wallet, then I am not only entitled but even obliged to say that this man is a thief. However, if I go on to ascribe thievery and dishonesty to every member of his (an abusive adjective may be added here) race, then of course I am racist.
I could go through the rest of Jack's pamphlet but the same message will emerge and maybe I am taking it too seriously or out of context? I am with Jack in everything else that he does in his journeys through time.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Unfortunately, there ARE anti-white racists who think and talk like the bit you quoted from Jack Havig's pamphlet. I'm thinking of people in the US such as Louis Farrakhan and Jeremiah Wright. And there are self-loathing white liberals who think and talk like that. NOT all are as reasonable and sensible as you are.
Sean
Sean,
I googled those guys although it would take a while to read all the details. If anyone argues for either black or Jewish separatism, then I argue against him. We need one society where everyone is equal and where different cultures can be shared and celebrated. I heard of a Christian missionary who disliked members of his congregation joining in the festivities of their neighbors who were of a different faith.
Passing a Catholic St Mary's Social Club, I asked an old guy sitting outside, "As a matter of interest, which St Mary is it?" He replied, "I don't know. We're all Protestants who come in here!" (Probably not "all.") That struck me as healthy. Different communities providing facilities and not being too particular about who used them. Far better than denominational segregation that used to exist in Ireland, North and South. People got embarrassed when they met someone of "the other Faith" because they weren't used to doing so. Sheila's aunt said that, after several generations of no mixed marriages, Catholics and Protestants could be recognized facially. I heard that even Scouts and Guides were organized on a denominational basis - the only country in the world where that happened.
Paul.
"...equal...," of course, means equality before the law, equal civil and voting rights etc. No pretense that we are equally intelligent or gifted in other respects.
Kaor, Paul!
The kind of "self apartheid" mentioned in your first comment goes back to Penal Laws and pre-Emancipation times in Ireland. Mutual anger and resentment made this kind of separation easy to develop.
I agree, equality before the law, in civil and political matters, such as voting rights. But no attempt made to force everyone to pretend they were all the same in intelligence, abilities, talents, etc. And that should include eschewing forcing people to have the same amount of property and wealth.
Sean
Kaor, Paul!
Another thought I had about Jack Havig's pamphlet is that, when he time traveled to the US of circa 1970, he had the misfortune of falling in among extremist, whacked out types. His only guides at a time when, inexperienced as he was at time traveling, were people with very SKEWED views.
Sean
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