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Re: R. Rohrlich and "human rights"
Biskowski, Marty (biskowsk@ANTHRO.SSCNET.UCLA.EDU)
Sat, 31 Dec 1994 04:30:00 PST
"Apparently there is an "anthropologically correct" way of dealing with a
macho type. I wonder if you would also suggest using this a.c. way with
a racist. I'll bet you wouldn't find an angry response to that
offensive. Your sanctimonious attitude now offends me." Ruby Rohrlich
You seem overly ready to condemn. Suppose that your social and political
sentiments were the only correct and reasonable view of the world. Did you
possess them at the time of birth, or was there some process involved which,
over time, led you to embrace your convictions? And do you know of others who
embraced them more quickly than you did? And if so, do you now find the
person who you once were as "offensive" as the people in the present you are
so ready to condemn?
We are all in the process of becoming. Extremely well-meaning people have
embraced all sorts of crazy notions of race and gender, but where possible
such people have undergone the painful process of challenging their own
views. If you truly desire change, you will choose methods of communication
which are likely to help honest, well-meaning people to understand and
accept your views. If not, you may choose methods which tend to communicate
to others that you are using the issues as an excuse for expressing anger.
The choice is yours, but you should consider how your approach influences
your credibility as someone who honestly desires social change.
Marty Biskowski
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