MnSpring wrote on 08/23/18 at 15:40:28:


No one makes trump a racist.  His actions, his inactions and his words make many people believe that he's a racist.

I'm still on the fence about that though.  I think his biggest problem is that he simply doesn't know any better.  He a racist by stupidity.

MShipley wrote on 08/24/18 at 08:44:01:

PS... I'm not saying this,.. I just Googled it.

T And T Garage wrote on 08/24/18 at 08:53:47:


It is an interesting read but his premise is bad. He says you can not blame atheism because it is not a religion, OK that can be argued........ He says Pol Pot and Stalin DID NOT act in the name of Christianity and only associates Biblical references that Hitler knew as evidence that he did? The Bible has had great influence on Western Culture. I am sure that it had influence on Hitler. So did Darwin and so did Nietzsche. Once again, claiming to be a Christian and being one are two entirely different things.

Like I said, you can not connect 102 million deaths to the Christian faith. Done in the name of Christ.

I am a realist and I do understand that awful things have been done by Christians. That is why you have heard me say "look to Jesus not to his followers".

But you have to ask the question, if these 102 million were killed predicated on a Worldview, and it isn't the Christian Worldview, or the Muslim Worldview, then it what Worldview was it?

The Atheist, Humanist, Worldview has ramifications whether you want to consider it a religion or not. ALL Worldviews have ramifications of some type good and bad.

Gott mit uns, wasn't that one of Hitler's slogans?

Anyway, yes, I hear what you are saying, Ray, and I think there are several answers to your question why people do not behave and act decently. I'll try to mention a few of them, but there are likely hundreds.

1) Culture. What is right in one culture is wrong in another. Could be between countries. religions, regions, interest groups, families...

2) Convictions. Some are convinced they are entitled to something and will believe just about any and all means are allowed to obtain it.

3) Greed. Most seem to suffer from it.

4) Ego. Some are only aware of themselves (and/or their families) and have little regard for others.

5) Intolerance. The majority have trouble accepting those who differ from themselves in some, most or every way.

Basically, it is human nature that stands in out way. Ever since I was a kid I have despised humanity. Not one single thing have improved on this planet after we appeared, but a lot have gotten worse. There are plenty of individuals I respect, some highly, but as a group humanity has nothing going for it in my opinion.

That is also why I find it impossible to like someone as Trump. Is he a man who stands up for the weak, a man who wants a better future for all, as in the world, and who is fighting for the good causes? Is he honest and decent? Not the way I see it. To me, he, along with the likes of Putin and Erdogan and the rest of the dictators, are ugly people personified. But I must respect that others have a different view.

Thank you faffi.

As a kid you had disdain for humanity?
Wow, I was more into toys, then sports, girls, beer, girls as sport  
I can’t help but think about how our own self importance/projections is a major component to the ills of this world?
How do you know a person, if you never walked in their shoes?
How do you even assign to them anything, if you are looking at them with your own prejudices?

Eegore wrote on 08/24/18 at 14:35:57:


Then how do you even dialogue?

"Then how do you even dialogue?"

 I just use two general rules for my communication across the board:

Understand to be understood.

Keep dialogue productive.

 That's pretty much all I need to communicate taking language barriers into account.  What does "assign to them anything" mean?  I might have misunderstood.

 So you are saying you prefer to assume over taking the steps to clarify the meaning of a sentence?

 When you asked:

"How do you know a person, if you never walked in their shoes?
How do you even assign to them anything, if you are looking at them with your own prejudices? "

 Were you linking the two, as in how can we know another person and assign them some sort of label, or were they two completely separate questions?  

 Like how can anyone know anyone, also unrelated, how do you assign someone to a descriptive or other type of assignment/label?

 I thought you meant "assign" as in placing specific labels, stereotypes, or other factors such as economic or education levels upon people you meet.