Nothing to add...(An Alice amazing message!)

(In some ways this is my answer to an aggressive comment about my frequent use of the words intellectual and petit-bourgeois. 

I thought using the three messages below  would be a perfect answer)

 "No one is just like anyone else. Not better or worse. They are someone else entirely. And if two people agree, it’s based on a misunderstanding.” (J-P Sartre)

Alice:

Thanks Juan for starting this thread. The pervasive perception of only one "political correctness of certain posters" is indeed one of the stimuli to my posting - but it hasn’t done a thing except heighten animosity - your quote and Vladimir's style has been far more effective. it was most strange to me to encounter this narrow-mindedness in this group, since CS is supposed to celebrate the diversity of people and their thinking - however most people here seem to mouth an embrace of diversity while having very narrow ideas of acceptable (political/philosophical) thinking, and even wanting to impose it on others, with a "means justifies the ends" attitude! So perhaps I am narrow - I like the ideal of democracy - even if it may never be achieved, and I like the idea of each person having individual responsibility - even if I know that we live as social beings and we cannot be completely self-made or independent as we cannot live without the help (and hindrance) of others - however that may be organized.

Charles:

Alice: you wrote, "however most people here seem to mouth an embrace of diversity while having very narrow ideas of acceptable (political/philosophical) thinking, and even wanting to impose it on others, with a "means justifies the ends" attitude!"

I would be comfortable with this statement if you had used the word 'some' instead of 'most'.

"We are diverse in our opinions as well as our colours, backgrounds, languages, cultures etc."

Alice:

MY PERCEPTION IS THAT OF "MOST" AND IT FORMED BY THE # OF POSTS MADE BY ACTIVE MEMBERS - YOU ARE CORRECT I HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT THE 10000 MEMBERS WHO DO NOT POST AN OPINION. YOU PERCEPTION MAY BE DIFFERENT - INDEED, IT IS THROUGH DIVERSITY OF PERCEPTIONS, CONCLUSIONS, OPINIONS AND THOUGHT PROCESSES THAT WE HAVE DIVERSITY AT ALL! IF WE WERE JUST PARROTS, ALL STUDENTS WOULD BE GRADED A+!

 Thanks Alice and Charles for these messages. They could be the gospel of all forums: freedom of speech and tolerance to all opinions. They reflect perfectly what I think. Normally one should be free to express oneself, express divergent opinions, maybe shocking ones for some stuck up people, To be non-PC in a a petit-bourgeois molded world should not be a problem but in the contrary seen as a source of ´positive and fruitful enrichment. Unfortunately this is not the case here where some prudish petit-bourgeois conformist mold is ruling. If we do not respect it either we are assaulted, boycotted and even blocked causing us a problematic suspension, a not insignificant consequence.

Alice, you summed it all with your last sentence: "If we were just parrots, all students would be graded A+!"

"No one is just like anyone else...." + "We are not parrots!"

"No one is just like anyone else. Not better or worse. They are someone else entirely. And if two people agree, it’s based on a misunderstanding.” (J-P Sartre) 
 

S.:

Thanks Juan for starting this thread. The pervasive perception of only one "political correctness of certain posters" is indeed one of the stimuli to my posting - but it hasnt done a thing except heighten animosity - your quote and G.'s style has been far more effective. it was most strange to me to encounter this narrowmindedness in this group, since CS is supposed to celebrate the diversity of people and their thinking - however most people here seem to mouth an embrace of diversity while having very narrow ideas of acceptable (political/philosophical) thinking, and even wanting to impose it on others, with a "means justifies the ends" attitude! So perhaps I am narrow - I like the ideal of democracy - even if it may never be achieved, and I like the idea of each person having individual responsibility - even if I know that we live as social beings and we cannot be completely self-made or independent as we cannot live without the help (and hindrence) of others - however that may be organized.

D.:

E, you wrote, "however most people here seem to mouth an embrace of diversity while having very narrow ideas of acceptable (political/philosophical) thinking, and even wanting to impose it on others, with a "means justifies the ends" attitude!"

E: "I would be comfortable with this statement if you had used the word 'some' instead of 'most'.

We are diverse in our opinions as well as our colours, backgrounds, languages, cultures etc."

S.:

"MY PERCEPTION IS THAT OF "MOST" AND IT IT FORMED BY THE # OF POSTS MADE BY ACTIVE MEMBERS - YOU ARE CORRECT i HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT THE 10000 MEMBERS WHO DO NOT POST AN OPINION. YOU PERCEPTION MAY BE DIFFERENT - INDEED, IT IS THROUGH DIVERSITY OF PERCEPTIONS, CONCLUSIONS, OPINIONS AND THOUGHT PROCESSES THAT WE HAVE DIVERSITY AT ALL! IF WE WERE JUST PARROTS, ALL STUDENTS WOULD BE GRADED A+!"

 Thanks S. for these two messages.  

"As long as we remember someone..." but...

 Some time ago I shared  a sad episode in my family life, the deportation of my young aunt. But after a few nice comments some weird and  ignorant comments, the same tune as usual, showed  up assimilating the holocaust with the present Palestinian situation. Other comments were alluding about the fact we are heading towards the same catastrophe and the usual "we should be careful it does not happen gain" and to "the disgusting politicians". Eventually a very violent message was alluding fiercely to a new  “scapegoating” against Palestinians like the one the Jews suffered in the past.  

 This insistence in muddling up the deportation issue with the Palestinian problem is most unwelcome at least in my topic. naturally  people  share a sensibility about other issues and I respect their opinions. But when one feels so concerned by a cause why not start a topic...? Are people sincere? I am far from being sure: beer activism that's about it.