From: Scott Roberts (jse885@earthlink.net)
Date: Tue Nov 09 2004 - 16:35:48 GMT
Platt,
> Perhaps we need to be reminded from time to time that Pirsig himself
> offers an "alternate theory of origin," and that defining an entire group
> of fellow citizens with a different view than your own as lunatics,
idiots
> and purveyors of insanity is a gross form of bigotry. The irony of such
> pejoratives coming from those who preach inclusion, tolerance and
> diversity is not lost on the rubes who came out in droves in the recent
> U.S. election to defeat the forces of elitist secularism.
While I agree that my use of "idiots" was unnecessarily pejorative, isn't
that more a breach of etiquette than bigotry? I could have said "Christians
who hold with a view that I consider to be of very low level of
intellectual Quality" instead. Would that make it a polite form of bigotry?
Since I know that you do not hold with the extreme relativist position that
all views have equal validity, is it bigotry to point out that a particular
view is wrong?
Also, they didn't just defeat the forces of elitist secularism, but also
the forces of a different kind of religious understanding. (And why did you
see the need to add the word "elitist" -- couldn't it just be that
secularists think that they are right, and therefore, more intelligent,
than those they oppose? Isn't that everyone's opinion who has an opinion?)
- Scott
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