Pure and Unmitigated Evil

[Bruder Cuzzen]

Race?  I blame the invention of the idea of "race" on the basic selfish desire to survive.....

Ahoy Sibling Robert ! Ye be only the second person I have come across that has thought about our instinct to survive  (and procreate) as a selfish desire . An interesting thread topic to be explored .

[anthrobabe]

Race?  I blame the invention of the idea of "race" on the basic selfish desire to survive.....

Ahoy Sibling Robert ! Ye be only the second person I have come across that has thought about our instinct to survive  (and procreate) as a selfish desire . An interesting thread topic to be explored .

Humans are certainly not an alturistic species-- we do on occasion do alturistic things- but WHY? I still think it is survival based or pass my genes along based.

[pieces o nine]

Bluenose, Bruder Cuzzin, anthrobabe: you're so right about the atrocities against the various natives and the difficulties making amends.

I suspect that 'saving' children from their culture has occurred wherever culture clashes has occurred. I used to live in the Black Hills: there was a ongoing undercurrent regarding the native Lakota people and their role in society. Those who chose (or had that choice thrust upon them) to remain on the reservation and not 'integrate' were held in contempt by people who had never been required to make near-heroic efforts to change their lives. Those who went on to Western-style education and lived successful lives in the Anglo culture were held in contempt by those who felt they were 'passing' (oooh, I dislike that term) or that they were pretending to be something they were not (?!?). Those who moved easily between the cultures were viewed with contempt because they refused to stay in an easily identifiable box. These attitudes came from both sides. There is no logic to this thinking.

Of all the undeveloped latent abilities of Homo sapiens sapiens, empathy seems critical to move beyond mere survival into something better. It would prevent a host of ills in the first place, and make for better resolutions to problems in the second.

[anthrobabe]

I've seen people come to blows in Arizona (Tohono O'odham esp) over the issue of passing (I too hate the term). Sometimes it was damned if do or damned if don't--- and a human is stuck in the middle who has hopes and dreams. There is real bitterness among many indigenous americans and time is not healing all.

[Aphos]

I have read a couple of blog articles recently about bad things happening in Saudi Arabia.

From ERV...

The Saudi 'Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice'  has declared Valentine's Day illegal:

Seems the Saudi morality police believe that Valentine's Day promotes immorality.

http://endogenousretrovirus.blogspot.com/2008/02/lolsaudis-for-valentines-day.html

Also...a woman in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to be beheaded for witchcraft.  The authorities assure us she has signed a confession, and that she read the confession before signing it.  Never mind that the woman is illiterate.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/02/unbelievable.php

Oh, the sad things that happen when ultra-conservative religions get in control.