Cousin's Perspective: No Longer American

[Evo]

The stoning was suspended, but she still faces other possible sentences.
Anyway, it does not really change your point : this sort of sentence is still ongoing there.

But it's only been suspended, meaning that she could still have it carried out, although with the international outcry, it seems like she may be spared. Iran has not changed their laws. The man she commited adultery with was only sentenced to 10 years.

 

[Borg]

It seems I opened a can of religious worms with that last question. Let me try a different one closer to the original post.

Ivan, you mentioned that your cousin had a tendency to lump all Americans together. I have seen this personally in several ways but not in a political sense. Being foreign born herself, my wife has lots of foreign acquaintences in an effort to maintain ties to her culture. One of the questions that she gets asked fairly often is why all Americans are fat. She usually ends up explaining that some Americans are extremely health conscious and tells them about the research that they put into their routines. Not everyone is fat but you wouldn't believe it from watching TV sometimes.

Myself, I get it from where I come from - Michigan. Michigan can be as liberal as California at times but, I still get a lot of them thinking that just because I live in Washington DC, I've got all the same views as every politician on the evening news. I even had one (ex-friend) that was very pro-NRA give me grief about my "friends in Washington" without even asking my opinion. The ironic thing is that I drive past the NRA headquarters every day.

I guess that what this boils down to is that we all have our misconceptions about other cultures - even when those cultures are in the same country.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

That said, I wouldn't personally condemn all of Islam. I would, however, condemn all Islamic nations that adhere strictly to sharia law.

What does it mean when you condemn them? Is this a purely philosophical position, or, ideally, should the condemnation carry consequences?

When we condemned the French for their opposition to the war in Iraq, we renamed french fries, freedom fries. I bet that showed 'em!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Heh, note that I said "when we condemned", "we renamed". In fact, I didn't do either.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It seems I opened a can of religious worms with that last question. Let me try a different one closer to the original post.

Ivan, you mentioned that your cousin had a tendency to lump all Americans together. I have seen this personally in several ways but not in a political sense. Being foreign born herself, my wife has lots of foreign acquaintences in an effort to maintain ties to her culture. One of the questions that she gets asked fairly often is why all Americans are fat. She usually ends up explaining that some Americans are extremely health conscious and tells them about the research that they put into their routines. Not everyone is fat but you wouldn't believe it from watching TV sometimes.

Myself, I get it from where I come from - Michigan. Michigan can be as liberal as California at times but, I still get a lot of them thinking that just because I live in Washington DC, I've got all the same views as every politician on the evening news. I even had one (ex-friend) that was very pro-NRA give me grief about my "friends in Washington" without even asking my opinion. The ironic thing is that I drive past the NRA headquarters every day.

I guess that what this boils down to is that we all have our misconceptions about other cultures - even when those cultures are in the same country.

My dad once told me how, as kids, his side of the block was always at war the kids on the other side of the block. Why? Because THEY were on the other side of the block.

Personal bias seems to be common to borders. Here in this part of Oregon, there is a long-standing Oregon vs California thing going.

 

[brainstorm]

Anti-Americanism is a powerful hegemonic ideology that passes without notice because it acts as a reaction to imperialism as its enemy. So when people are busy conforming to the viewpoints of anti-Americanism because they are afraid to be labeled an apologist, they are rarely aware that doing so constitutes submission to (counter)hegemonic authority. The strongest hegemony works in reaction to something else.

Anti-Islam and and anti-Americanism are two very strong recent versions. A few years ago, anti-Nazism and anti-communism were probably stronger.

 

[leroyjenkens]

Nationalism is so stupid. You could make an imaginary border anywhere and there will be stupid people defending that border like dumb, barking dogs defending a backyard.

 

[brainstorm]

Nationalism is so stupid. You could make an imaginary border anywhere and there will be stupid people defending that border like dumb, barking dogs defending a backyard.

Dogs with the cognitive capacity to rationalize their territorialism in complex ideological ways.

 

[rootX]

Are people not aware that in Iran a woman has been sentenced to death by stoning and is in jail right now waiting? This is not an "isolated" practice.

These are emotional issues and should not have any place in political analysis.

 

[Evo]

These are emotional issues and should not have any place in political analysis.

This has zero to do with emotion, this is Iranian/Islamic law.

 

[Char. Limit]

My dad once told me how, as kids, his side of the block was always at war the kids on the other side of the block. Why? Because THEY were on the other side of the block.

Personal bias seems to be common to borders. Here in this part of Oregon, there is a long-standing Oregon vs California thing going.

In Eastern Washington, we like to think we're better than those redneck Idahoans to the east. We also like to think that we're better than those snobby rain-loving snow-fearing Starbucks-loving wimpy Seattelites to the West. It works out somehow.

Is that the sort of thing you meant?

 

[talk2glenn]

*We are also tired of paying $800/mo for a crap apartment*

LOL. Good luck solving that problem by moving to France. Ever been outside the States?

Typical American.

 

[Borg]

In Eastern Washington, we like to think we're better than those redneck Idahoans to the east. We also like to think that we're better than those snobby rain-loving snow-fearing Starbucks-loving wimpy Seattelites to the West. It works out somehow.

Is that the sort of thing you meant?

I'm beginning to think that there's something wrong with the people in the other cubicals at work.

LOL on the signature, Char. Now everyone will think that I'm a politician.