posted January 28, 2017 01:58 PM
Delilah, I understand now what you meant by those apparently fundamental differences and what appears as "being wired differently". In the light of the article, this is an extreme case of direct causation vs systemic causation, with direct causation being the now official power of US. (only an apparent power though, imo) General remarks
- direct causation has been in power in different times and places over the world and always failed
- while there has never been an upfront and total dc regime in the US so far, all dc approaches in the US in the past also failed
Two examples of direct causation here:
The Wall
Direct causation thinking: In order to keep immigrants to enter the country, you build a big tall wall (similar to locking your door at night, often presented as argument). If they don't comply, you apply economic and other sanctions to the poorer neighbor, which intends to make them poorer, insults them and bullies them into complying. Problem solved.
Systemic causation of building a wall:
- walls don't stop people who want to cross over (based on general logic and experience); bigger wall, bigger ladder, tunnel, or escape route; wall is useless for its purpose.
-poorer Mexico means more potential immigrants crossing in the US (the interest of the US is a prosperous neighbor, and this also implies sharing and trading wealth)
- wall is an act of discriminative racism, as racism is understood nowadays, as any attempt to discriminate in any way a national, cultural, ethnic or religious group, with multiple and extended consequences. Racism never spares anyone, it comes back to the source in all its forms. (direct causation usually fails to see this)
- all Mexicans in the US (33 million people), Mexico and abroad are now in pain and anger of the above (empathy notwithstanding, systemic causation sees here the multiple consequences of this fact) and fear for their future.
-poorer and angrier Mexico means poorer and angrier US
- facing sanctions from the US (wall, economic sanctions, etc.), Mexico can take several routes: 1. comply and or be coerced to pay for the wall, accept sanctions - poorer and angrier Mexico, poorer angrier US 2. impose their own sanctions, seek other trade partners, leading to poorer, angrier, isolated US. Basic knowledge and understanding of human dignity, the consequences of insults and Mexican national psychology makes indirect causation bet on number 2. Even otherwise, both routes are detrimental to the US.
-economic incentives (under the forms of loans, exemptions, postponement of debt, investments) an economic power gives to its developing neighbors or partners are in the first interest of the said power, not an act of philanthropy (basic political knowledge)
- wall turns a neighbor into an enemy
To this we add: first proposal for paying the wall (20% tax on Mexican imports) is an attempted scam or shows complete lack of basic economical knowledge, since it implies US citizens will pay for the wall twice: first when it is built, and then when incurring the 20% import tax by buying more expensive products from Mexico, which also leads to US job losses.
Muslim Ban
Direct causation thinking: In order to prevent terrorism (with Islam as pretext) on American soil, you ban Muslims from entering the country (same closed door argument). Problem solved.
Systemic causation:
- contemporary Islam based terrorism, that caused victims not only in the US, is a direct consequence of US military imperialist foreign policy, along with other imperialist actors. It is a creation of such policies. Conclusion: military imperialistic policies create terrorism. Logic says only a different approach will reverse it.
- a Muslim ban of any kind is a defying act of discriminative racism, as racism is understood nowadays, as any attempt to discriminate in any way a national, cultural, ethnic or religious group, with multiple and extended consequences. Racism never spares anyone, it comes back to the source in all its forms. (direct causation usually fails to see this)
- due to this act, a potential number of 1.6 billion, out of which 3 million American Muslims are now in pain, anger and fear for their safety and future.
- main recruitment slogan and policy of this type of terrorist factions and one of their main brainwashing mantras leading to killers blowing themselves up is the "West has declared a war on Muslims" (also known as persecuting Muslims in any way), especially when it comes from Christians (the "legendary" Christian Muslim war). Conclusion: banning Muslims + mentioning the word Christian is the wet dream of these terrorist factions. No more brainwashing now, but reality. An unexpected gift.
- terrorist organizations prey on fear, anger, poverty, gullibility, youth of their followers
- Which leads to ISIS and other factions being now fervently open for business, both in the US and worldwide. Out of those 1.6 billion people, much more than yesterday will be inclined to follow this route (in fact, ISIS was almost destroyed until yesterday)
- all 3 millions American Muslims, and the rest of the almost 2 billion, who would never choose the terrorist path, for their overwhelming majority, are now in pain, anger and fear (empathy notwithstanding, systemic causation sees here the multiple consequences of this fact)
- persecution of a religious group is unacceptable by global contemporary standards and laws, also illegal and unconstitutional in the US, so it will be met with crushing justified opposition
- the US is a country of immigrants and refugees and its democratic values and economy are built around this reality, including the Constitution. Any attack on these values is a challenge to current American democracy. Discrimination of a group of Americans (Muslims immigrants, Mexican immigrants) is just the beginning of potential attack on every immigrant group (which means practically almost all Americans) or any other group (religious, ethnic, cultural) and has a snowballing effect.
- the right to migrate and seek refuge is a fundamental human right, also regulated; more crushing justified opposition here; Migration is essential to the survival of our species, neither can it be stopped (the instinctive mechanisms prevail), nor it should be. It can only be supported, regulated and integrated, in peaceful ways.
- apart from a minority, the US and the world are committed to current democratic values, freedom and human rights. Conclusion: any attack on those will fail.
Conclusion: direct causation in contemporary contexts is unrealistic and destructive and it leads to the opposite intended result.
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I seem to have loved you in numberless forms...
LeeLoo's Esotericorner
Lindaland
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posted January 18, 2017 03:52 PM
posted January 27, 2017 07:25 AM
Patriarchy in its decadent phase. Rococo. That was a concise description of the authoritarian patriarchal mindset facing extinction.
posted January 28, 2017 02:36 PM
posted January 30, 2017 06:42 AM
posted January 30, 2017 07:16 AM
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