why we are so weak

Gordon Fitch gcf at panix.com
Tue Sep 17 09:44:27 PDT 2002


Liza Featherstone:
> ...
> Obviously hating people based on race, ethnicity or political beliefs is
> totally monstrous. I'm only suggesting we permit ourselves to hate mass
> murderers of all stripes - Al Quaeda as well as Bush, etc.
> ...

There is no more point in hating al-Qaeda than there is in hating a mad dog. The point is to evade, neutralize, or destroy them; but one could do that, perhaps better, while loving them. The difficulty here for the Left is that some leftists want to do so without signing on to one imperium or another, while of course others have no problem -- no problem at all. And some leftists want to use the opportunity to slag other leftists because it's a personally gratifying tradition. For the pros, it's a great career move as well. Indeed, given the weather predictions, it's not at all too soon to start collaborating with the authorities. So, with so many crossed purposes, there's bound to be a bit of conflict!

I don't want to deprecate the pleasures of hatred, but I think it is a recreation rather than something practical and useful in the so-called real world. Probably, like vengeance, it is a dish most enjoyable when quite cold: carefully prepared, and savored at length.

-- Gordon



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