steelheart
Moderator
Busted!!
Facts or Demagoguery?
- Thread starter steelheart
- Start date
invention_45
New member
Sowell's article looks like a thinly disguised diatribe against gays, blacks, and the lilbrul education system and media to me.
So much for "facts".
He goes on to say:
It's widely discussed (in the US) as an "Europeans enslaving Africans" issue because that's how it manifested HERE. We aren't THERE, so who cares who got enslaved by whom THERE. Nothing we can do about it.
When I was in grade school, I first learned about our governmental system not in a formal civics class (that was in 7th grade), but from the history books. That's where I learned about slavery, too. They didn't talk about any slavery other than that practiced here. Just like they didn't talk about government systems not practiced here.
Put Sowell's article into context and it's nothing but drivel.
So much for "facts".
He goes on to say:
It's widely discussed (in the US) as an "Europeans enslaving Africans" issue because that's how it manifested HERE. We aren't THERE, so who cares who got enslaved by whom THERE. Nothing we can do about it.
When I was in grade school, I first learned about our governmental system not in a formal civics class (that was in 7th grade), but from the history books. That's where I learned about slavery, too. They didn't talk about any slavery other than that practiced here. Just like they didn't talk about government systems not practiced here.
Put Sowell's article into context and it's nothing but drivel.
invention_45
New member
Doesn't look like Handy expressed a hatred for Fox News. Just a prediction, and with good reason, that they'll never say anything good about a Democrat.
You aren't trying to say you really think they're "fair and balanced", are you?
I think you missed the point on the slavery issue.....
The term European is used to denote "white" people, which would also include us Americans. What he is saying is that the preconcived idea is that only Europeans or "whites" engaged in Slavery. If you do some research you will see that slavery is not a "whites" only occurence. Even Africans engaged in slavery of other black tribe members. We know that many other races and ethnic groups have practiced slavery and some still do to the present day.
What he is trying to convey is that when the term slave owner is mentioned the picture that pops into your head is a southern plantation owner.
The same argument would hold true for an anti-gunner. What mental picture do you imagine pops into the head of an anti-gun person when the term gun owner is mentioned?
When I mention terrorist does the picture of an Arab person like Osama Bin Laden pop up in your head? There are many terrorists who are not Arab.
This is what he is trying to convey........
I havent read the whole article but what I would think he is trying to do is say when that image pops in your head, take a deep breath. Then go examine and research the facts.
The term European is used to denote "white" people, which would also include us Americans. What he is saying is that the preconcived idea is that only Europeans or "whites" engaged in Slavery. If you do some research you will see that slavery is not a "whites" only occurence. Even Africans engaged in slavery of other black tribe members. We know that many other races and ethnic groups have practiced slavery and some still do to the present day.
What he is trying to convey is that when the term slave owner is mentioned the picture that pops into your head is a southern plantation owner.
The same argument would hold true for an anti-gunner. What mental picture do you imagine pops into the head of an anti-gun person when the term gun owner is mentioned?
When I mention terrorist does the picture of an Arab person like Osama Bin Laden pop up in your head? There are many terrorists who are not Arab.
This is what he is trying to convey........
I havent read the whole article but what I would think he is trying to do is say when that image pops in your head, take a deep breath. Then go examine and research the facts.
invention_45
New member
Given the tone of the rest of the article, it looks more to me like he used "European" rather than "American" to avoid the appearance of trying to excuse Southern slavery.
When I consider slavery (which is rare), a southern plantation owner is exactly what pops into my head. That is because I don't overly concern myself with slavery as it was and/or is practiced in China, Argentina, Europe, Iraq, or any place else other than here. So, for my purposes and for relevance to my life, that's the correct image.
As practiced in the US, well, I'd say McVeigh's face AND bin Laden's face do come up.
As far as what mental picture anti-gunners have, I'm only guessing here, but they probably think about whatever the US media has fed them. My guess is they think "uneducated, barefoot, toothless, drunken, pickup-truck driving, wife-beating redneck who hates gays and blacks". Note that I know better than to think that myself, but that's just what I think the average gun-banner thinks.
I think a negative side of this, if it's true, is it makes us look bad and risks our gun rights being taken away. But it has a positive side for me, at least. Nobody would ever suspect I'm totin'.
You're not saying that CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSN, The NY Times, The LA Times, The Washington Post, etc., ad nauseum, will ever say anything good about a Republican are you? At least Fox presents both sides of a debate. You'll never see that on the above. Leftist TV & rags won't even acknowledge the other side's position. They're all about as unbiased as Michael Moore.
Because I agree with this statement:
I said "As near as I can tell, much of this media filtering goes on because so many Americans are no longer able to process anything that doesn't fit neatly within their preconceived notions." Americans. Not conservative Americans or Fox watching Americans. I was taking everyone to task. I made the mistake of assuming I could illustrate the point with one example. Apparently I needed two seperate but equal examples to be understood.
Matt-
Ah, no. The crime is called child molesting or pedifilia. It has nothing to do with homosexuality, and I can't believe you make such a ridiculous association. The only "homosexual crimes" I've ever heard of were ruled unconstitutional a few years ago.
Exactly right, Handy. It has nothing to do with Homosexuality. The list was not exhaustive and intended to be pointed in one direction as an example of how the issue could have been posed to demogog. The perpetrator is not material in that specific instance. Pedifilia is a heinous crime regardless of who perpetrates it.
Still the issue is not whether or not demogogery exists, but whether we are equipped to recognize it and are willing to form our own opinions.
Clearly, most here have opinions and the wherewithal to defend/debate them.
Still the issue is not whether or not demogogery exists, but whether we are equipped to recognize it and are willing to form our own opinions.
Clearly, most here have opinions and the wherewithal to defend/debate them.
Matt, you seem to now be agreeing with me. The point was that the writer committed his own sin when he created a false paradigm. That paradigm is:
News reporting on crimes against homosexuals.
vs.
No news reporting on the crimes of homosexuals.
The point being the second half doesn't exist, so the author was playing a shell game. If that is your conclusion, too, great. But then I don't understand what you were talking about in the previous post.
News reporting on crimes against homosexuals.
vs.
No news reporting on the crimes of homosexuals.
The point being the second half doesn't exist, so the author was playing a shell game. If that is your conclusion, too, great. But then I don't understand what you were talking about in the previous post.
LOL
lets start at the beggining
"demagogue: a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power"
imagery is a powerful tool in demogoguery. That ol image of the southern plantation owner just popped right up and the next thing your saying is that the author is trying to excuse southern slave owners. When the author did not mention America nor southern slave owners in the paragraph.
That is the purpose for demogoguery, to inflame the emotions and cause a cessation of grey matter function.
Mad Martigan
New member
Just checking.
Mad Martigan
New member
So its like a synonym of politicking?
invention_45
New member
Apparently some of you weren't around when CBS beat up LBJ nightly over caskets returning from Vietnam. LBJ was a....(drumroll)....Democrat !
At the same time they were airing the Smothers Brothers show which had a pretty liberal slant.
This is what we call "fair and balanced".
At the same time they were airing the Smothers Brothers show which had a pretty liberal slant.
This is what we call "fair and balanced".