"anti-American"

[Paul Mackin]

Yes, this is the other side of the thing. The tension between the
Aristotelian and the Platonic as it were.
One can certainly argue it.

You get into the differences between the thinking of something and the
actual doing  of it. The force of the ideas IS strong. "But I tell you that
anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed ADULTERY with
her in his heart. . . " (sermon on the mount)

However when one hears that millions of folks in certain parts of the world
are chanting kill Americans, blow up America, such things, one remembers
during occasional fits of dispairing of having had not too different
thoughts. "I'd like to drop a bomb on Washington D.C. or  New York City and
get rid of the whole corrupt bloody mess." Most of us never quite lose
consciousness of the fact that it's only an idea.

Children often have fantasies about killing their parents. Relatively few do
it thank heavens.

Anyway, I certainly see David's point.

            p.


----- Original Message -----
From: "davemarc" <davemarc at panix.com>
To: "Pynchlist" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2001 10:41 PM
Subject: Re: Re[2]: "anti-American"


> From: Paul Mackin <paul.mackin at verizon.net>
>
> > But anyway, my thought is that
> > AntiAmerican rallies, etc., in times of particular stress can quite
> arguably
> > function as a purgative and relief valve against the inevitable feelings
> of
> > fear and resentment America's  vast wealth and power necessarily inpire
> > throughout the world and often within America as well.  In other words
> > ritualized violence against America may help to forestall actual
violence
> of
> > the 9/11 variety or even the anthrax business.
>
> Yeah, it might.  But I think that, as ritual, it's a form of
indoctrination
> or programming that is more likely to foster that kind of dangerous and
> indiscriminate
> anti-Americanism.
>
> d.
>
>
>