Quote:
Originally Posted by Flint
One possible devil's advocate position could be that feelings like "worried" and "nervous" are involuntary reactions. The crime isn't having a reaction or feeling, it is admitting it out loud. This squashes honest conversation, which, it could be argued, can't possibly foster a meaningful dialogue. It just pushes the things we don't want to think about further under the surface, under the radar, where they can fester unchecked and unexamined.
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Meaningful dialogue is good, but don't...as we grow, learn about such things? Isn't meaningful dialogue dependent on having the dialogue with those who differ from us (i.e. not pointing and screaming and running away.) Reinforcing fear due to race or religion or appearance is not, in my humblest of opinions, a step toward enlightenment. We can say "I'm allowed to express my disdain of ferners heartily and loudly" but I don't see how that's fostering anything helpful. Yes, you're allowed. However, we live in a society...we have to live together. I wonder how he would feel if it were still acceptable to not allow black people in the same swimming pool as the whites, or to someone who verbalizes fear of those black people in the pool?
I'm afraid of spiders, and I'm not afraid to admit it. Unfortunately, it's not a fear I've been able to overcome because I've not had a meaningful dialogue with a spider. I've never sat down with a spider and discussed its hopes and dreams, where it came from, where it hopes to go.
