When we were school age, and we whined that “everybody’s doing it,” our parents always responded with some variation of “If everybody jumped off a cliff, does that mean you would too?” Good advice. We knew it then, but we’ve forgotten it now. Fortunately, Jewish über-parent, Dennis Prager, is here to remind us:
If you are ever morally confused about a major world issue, here is a rule that is almost never violated: Whenever you hear that “world opinion” holds a view, assume it is morally wrong.
And here is a related rule if your religious or national or ethnic group ever suffers horrific persecution: “World opinion” will never do a thing for you. Never.
“World opinion” has little or nothing to say about the world’s greatest evils and regularly condemns those who fight evil.
The history of “world opinion” regarding the greatest mass murders and cruelties on the planet is one of relentless apathy.
Prager doesn’t stop, of course, with conclusions. The remainder of his column is provides facts demonstrating why world opinion, just like the “everybody’s doing it” in high school, is so often bad, wrong or dangerous.
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It’s a utilitarian philosophy when you think about it. Numbers matter. Why? Because him and his mob is more numerous than you and your family, that’s why.
>>When we were school age, and we whined that “everybody’s doing it,” our parents always responded with some variation of “If everybody jumped off a cliff, does that mean you would too?”..
Maybe you should apply that logic to your joining of the Fighting ChickenHawks.
I don’t know, you guys just don’t seem to fit the partisan, I can’t think for myself, must get someone else to provide me ideology, mold.
Or did you do it for the ratings?
I’m sorry, maybe I’m not clever enough, but I have no idea what elteraz is talking about or trying to say. I am smart enough to deduce that it is patronizing.
However, what I wanted to say is that Prager is THE moralist of our time, he clarifies and isn’t afriad to take a moral stand, like prophets in days long ago. He is the uber-father, Bookie, you are so right. And he is so right about the alleged wisdom and morality of “world opinion”. I am part of this world too and my opinion so often-usually- differs with the UN world, the Europe world, the Moslem world, and so on. Thankfully. If they proclaim something on behalf of world opinion it’s a safe bet to say it usually is lazy, immoral, and favors the bad guys.
Lulu: “If they proclaim something on behalf of world opinion it’s a safe bet to say it usually is lazy, immoral, and favors the bad guys”
Bingo.
Eteraz: “Maybe you should apply that logic to your joining of the Fighting ChickenHawks.
I strongly approve of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for reasons that I’ve only rarely heard expressed by conservatives. My only objection to the Iraq war is that it should have started in 1991, the very first time Saddam spit in the eye of the Gulf War Cease Fire.
And before you get back into the “Chickenhawk” name-calling mode, allow me to point out that I am a 57-year-old Vietnam Era veteran. My age is the only thing keeping me away from the military today.
You don’t have to defend yourself against the chickenhawk thing because not even active duty servicemembers have successfully defended against those accussations. The Left will say that you are not deployed currently. Or they will say that you are deployed, but not in the front lines. They will come up with a lot of shifting and genjutsu on you when they start with the chickenhawk thing. Now I think what eteraz is saying is that you shouldn’t be joining the fighting chickenhawks just because people you like have joined it.
On the level where that actually matters, it isn’t what Bookworm joined the Fighting 101st Keyboardists for. The assumption eteraz makes is wrong, in that not everyone who joines the 101st Fighting Keyboardists are closed minded and what not. That’s a stereotype and prejudicial attitude towards the right.
The sooner eteraz understands that people can differ 180 degrees from eteraz, and still have the same mental qualities as eteraz, then the sooner eteraz will understand the fundamental truths of the universe at large.
I don’t know, you guys just don’t seem to fit the partisan, I can’t think for myself, must get someone else to provide me ideology, mold.
Bookworm’s ideology and mine are derived from perhaps too complex a physiological template for me to explain. And I have not made a study of Bookworm as a enemy and I do not have access to life information of Bookworm to make a psychological analysis, in the first place. But even if I did, it would take too long to explain the fundamental reasoning why people believe as they do. There may be a catalysmic catalyst that started the belief, like 9/11, but it is only the tip of the iceberg.
This goes back to when I first mentioned the difference between zealots, fanatics, and true believers. They all share in some similar traits, like the absolute belief that something is true or real. Zealots apply their religious doctrines and dogma with fervency and no flexibility. Fanatics are willing to kill and die, sweep the world in blood and ashes, for their beliefs. True believers are the highest level, in my view, because not only are they willing to kill and die for their beliefs, but they are also smart enough (hence the true) to actually have a chance of succeding at their goals.
People who want to be ‘provided’ an ideology, are weak minded, with no smartness, wisdom, or ability. They are zealots. Too stupid to understand anything except the orders that they are given from their Godlike ideology. They are not too dangerous, since you know that Hollywood isn’t willing to get their hands dirty killing for their beliefs or killing themselves for their beliefs, naw they get other peopel to do their dirty work and then they say they have no knowledge of the fact.
You can determine the level of belief and the level of true belief, by discerning the person’s actions relative to their belief. It’s nothing that statisticians have not done before.