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Re: Defenders of the West
Robert Snower (rs222@WORLDNET.ATT.NET)
Sat, 27 Jul 1996 03:47:33 +0000
At 02:46 AM 7/27/96 +0000, John McCreery wrote:
I am very interested indeed in how others will respond
>to these statements:
>
>"In setting out to conquer, subjugate, and despoil other peoples, the
>Europeans were merely following the example set them by their neighbors and
>predecessors and, indeed, conforming to the common practice of mankind....
>The interesting questions are not why they tried, but why they succeeded
>and why, having succeeded, they repented of their success as a sin. The
>success was unique in modern times; the repentance, in all of recorded
>history."
>
>"Imperialism, sexism, and racism are words of Western coinage, not because
>the West invented theese evils, which are alas universal, but because the
>West recognized and named and condemned them as evils and struggled
>mightily--and not entirely in vain--to weaken their hold and to help their
>victims. If, to borrow a phrase, Western culture does indeed 'go,'
>imperialism, sexism, and racism will not go with it. More likely casualties
>will be the freedom to denounce them and the effort to end them."
>
>As a troglodyte of liberal persuasions I find these statements attractive.
>How do you feel about them?
>
>John McCreery
>3-206 Mitsusawa HT, 25-2 Miyagaya, Nishi-ku
>Yokohama 220, JAPAN
>
>
The word "universal" in the last paragraph of the quote should be changed to
"prehistoric." This is another slant on my post entitled "BICULTURALISM."
The last two sentences of that last paragraph above, beginning with "If,"
are very good.
I am really glad you liked this, and impressed. Does he identify this theme
of Western uniqueness with multiculturalism? I think that would be a mistake.
Best wishes. R. Snower rs222@worldnet.att.net
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