From: Bill Humphries (bill@whump.com)
Date: Wed Nov 29 2000 - 15:05:18 PST
On the subject of "Are Conservatives racist?"
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Klassa" <klassa@mail.com>
To: "Kragen Sitaker" <kragen@pobox.com>
>Main Entry: con·ser·va·tism
>2 a : disposition in politics to preserve what is established
> b : a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability,
> stressing established institutions, and preferring gradual
development
> to abrupt change
>3 : the tendency to prefer an existing or traditional situation to change
Given this definition, I could make the concusion that Conservative's
preference
for already existing institutions means that in a society with racial
privileges (ease
of exercising sufferage, degree to which members of racial groups are
subject to
unreasonable or excessive exercise of State power [i.e. "Assume The
Position"])
would prefer the institutions in which these privileges occur to
alternatives. So while
it doesn't imply racism, it could be understood to mean that a Conservative
may
prefer an already existing, albeit flawed, institution, to ripping it out.
However, I think many people working from that definition
of Conservatism would arrive at a conculusion that it does imply racism.
I'm thinking: "are Conservatives closeted refactorers?"
In the case of racial issues, Radicalism has appeal, if the culture is
ailing from Jim Crow,
or violence under color of authority, we want an overnight cure, instead a
long and
painful process of taking the anti-TB drugs under medical supervision.
Perhaps a better
analogy would be the methodology of testing drugs where some people receive
placebos.
In the long run test subjects may be worse off, or die, but you have an
answer of which
you are more confident.
Of course, Radicalism can fsck up racial minorities as well, simply because
the replacement of
one institution with another does not guarantee that the rights of
minorities will be respected
or enter into the calculations of that replacement institution.
Oy, this is hard stuff. No wonder we stick with code.
-- whump
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