Entry 1888, on 2017-12-13 at 16:24:26 (Rating 4, Politics)
Apparently, according to some people, I am a racist and/or a misogynist and/or a xenophobe, plus there might be a few other vague insults I can't recall right now. The people making these opinions known don't really know me at all, and the opinions are generally based on single comments I have made on discussion forums, so I don't take them too seriously.
I know I have discussed this issue before, that is, the ease with which these generic (and I would say ultimately meaningless) insults are used today, but I think it is one of the defining issues of the modern era, so I want to say some more about it here.
So first, what are some of the comments I have made to incur the wrath of these critics?
Well, one example might be recently where I said I didn't like the religion Islam. Apparently, according to some people at least, that is racist, even though Islam is a religious and political idea rather than a race.
I also said I had no real interest in learning the Maori language simply because I have other things which I personally think are more valuable for me to spend my time on. And that is also racist, according to some, even though I'm not trying to stop anyone else learning Maori if they want to.
Plus there have been occasions when I said I was not impressed with the performance of certain female public figures, and (as you might be able to predict by now) that was labelled sexist, even though I make similar criticism of male figures without receiving any opprobrium at all.
Finally, if I mention various ways I disagree with some forms of overseas investment and excessive migration to New Zealand then I am also xenophobic, even when it is only when that criticism involves certain countries and when equally critical points are made about others it is considered OK.
It's really quite disturbing what a terrible person I must be. I really had no idea!
But here are a few points which I really must make in defence of my comments, which I believe reveal a deeper understanding of my perspective...
First, I criticise ideas, not people. I have never said that I don't like Muslims, for example. It's Islam that I don't like, and I know and like some Muslims, despite the fact that I don't agree with their religion.
And I have nothing against the Race Relations Commissioner of New Zealand. I don't criticise some of her statements because of who she is, or because she is a woman, it's because I disagree with both her apparent underlying philosophy and many of her specific pronouncements.
And I don't criticise some Chinese investments in New Zealand because of their country of origin. It's because I think they are exploitative and not good for the country overall, and I also criticise many similar investments from the US and Australia.
Second, I don't judge people based on one aspect of their personality. Sure, if a person is seriously religious (especially Muslim) it will make it harder for me to like them, but there are many parts which make up a person's overall values, and everyone has positives and negatives. In fact, I welcome differences in opinion because that gives me an interesting basis for meaningful debate.
Third, I try to be consistent. So I think Islam is responsible for most of the terrorism in the world today and I condemn it on that basis. But I equally condemn Christianity for some of the atrocities it has been responsible for in the past. And the same applies to non-religious ideas such as Stalinism.
Fourth, I try to avoid trendy catch-phrases and ideas based on what is currently fashionable. So I try to avoid the unthinking condemnation of Donald Trump, even though I disagree with a lot of what he does. And I don't use silly words like "mansplaining" or "white privilege". These are often used in the wrong context and as a way to reject a person's opinion without having to come up with any genuine objection.
Fifth, I try to offer some balance in a discussion I think is too one sided. So if I see a discussion where Islam is being excused of any blame for terrorism I will point out that it must accept some degree of responsibility because of the way its written material can be quite reasonably interpreted as being a call for violence. But I will also defend Islam if I think it is being excessively blamed, because there are equally parts of that material which are moderately tolerant and peaceful.
There's a fine line between this and just being a troll, and it is easy to just cause trouble rather than offering a genuine alternative opinion, but it's just something I do.
Sixth, I try to offer a nuanced view which avoids one extreme or the other. Nothing is totally good or bad so it is sensible to argue based on that perspective. For example, I might say that immigration is causing a lot of social problems here, but I don't think it is totally bad and I don't think we should shut it down completely.
Or I might disagree with many of the economic principles of libertarianism while agreeing with its emphasis on maximum individual freedom. The world is complicated and it's too easy to over-simplify it.
Seventh, I enjoy debating for its own sake, and I enjoy being in the minority and being controversial. Sometimes this leads me to taking a side I am not totally committed to and sometimes this means my arguments are shown to be deficient. And this leads to my final point...
Finally, I do try to admit when I'm wrong, and when other people make good arguments, and when an issue is ultimately a matter of opinion. This does happen occasionally and I try to look at it as if I don't correct my view on some issues then I am not really improving my overall philosophical perspective. If I still believed exactly the same things today as I did a few years ago then it would be disappointing in many ways, so being wrong about some things should be welcomed - as long as it doesn't happen too often!
And sometimes a debate just has to end with a comment like: "well that's your opinion, which I can appreciate, but I think mine is more reasonable. However, since we are both really just offering opinions on a matter which cannot be resolved through logic or facts I think we need to agree to differ on this issue and leave it there."
If, after all of this, someone still wants to use an ad hominem against me then in many ways I welcome that. It's almost like an admission on their part that they are wrong and are out of ideas. If they want to call me racist then fine, I embrace that label if it means I am being more honest and realistic.
I'm sure that is anyone examines my record of debating on Facebook, on YouTube, and in this blog, amongst others, they will find times when I have failed to live up to the high standards I presented here. But I do make the effort at least, and I do think that I am at least aware of these as being worthy of aspiring to.
If other people would just think about these (especially number 4) before they write a comment I think the general standard of debate would be higher. Then we would have less debates with meaningless words like "racist", "mansplaining", "white privilege", "xenophobe", and all that other stuff which is so over-used that it has lost any value it might have had.
So hopefully I will never again be accused of being a privileged, chauvinistic, close-minded, misogynistic, deluded, elitist, imperialistic, ethno-centric, fat-shaming, hate-mongering, heteronormative, hyper-masculine, Islamophobic, mansplaining, middle-class, straight, narrow-minded, nationalistic, heterosexual, nativist, Eurocentric, alt-right, oppressive, patriarchal, hateful, racist, transphobic, woman-hating traditionalist! (thanks to the SJW insult generator for this list of meaningless insults)
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