Are sweeping generalizations acceptable among intelligent people? -- The Philadelphia Talk Radio Politics and Opinion Forum

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Date Posted: 07:56:36 10/09/02 Wed
Author: Richard
Author Host/IP: pcp01902285pcs.coatsv01.pa.comcast.net / 68.83.144.23
Subject: Are sweeping generalizations acceptable among intelligent people?
In reply to: William 's message, ""Here is a glimpse of what members of the "Religion of Peace", living here in the United States, really think about you and me." That is what it says. If you wish to think that all members of the Religion of Peace are hateful, spiteful, and desire to murder United States citizens and Jews, then go ahead. If it makes you feel better, read it this way: "Here is a glimpse of what many members of the "Religion of Peace" here in the United States really think about you and me". Many are here to slaughter U. S. citizens. They are bloodthirsty, hateful, and homicidal. Feel better now?" on 05:12:39 10/09/02 Wed

It matters not what makes me "feel better," but rather what is your motive in posting these anti-Muslim rants. If you truly wish to quantify "members" with "many," you are dead wrong. "Some" or "few" would be more accurate, since you don't have any hard facts to support the amount suggested by "many," other than the abundance of wild anti-Muslim propaganda that's available in the various media. That shouldn't be a substitute for using one's own common sense here. There are 1.2 billion Muslims in the world and there are perhaps 10-20 thousand vocally committed to jihad. That's an estimate. Even if it is 100 thousand, that's still a relatively small segment of that population. percentage I'm not about to exaggerate reports about a hundred documented cases of radical Muslim activity in the US to support fear and suspicion. That's not what rational and intelligent people do. Heck, the white supremacists are just as active in the US, but we don't hear much about them these days. We have Muslims serve as a convenient target to demonize and fcous our latent fears and hatreds.

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[> [> [> [> [> [> No one said all. Use of a plural does not imply all. You said "one." That is clearly wrong. Semantic games. Now you finally admit that there ARE 10-20,000 "vocally comitted." Seems that a plural makes sense. Please note that not a single Muslim vendor has been attacked here or anywhere, yet Jews on campuses have been attacked by Muslim students. Far too many examples to ignore. No sweeping generalization here except those you infer, yet were not implied. 20,000 or 100,000 fanatics trying to kill innocents supports the use of a plural "s." -- SurveyGuy, 10:01:58 10/09/02 Wed (maxtnt02-468.phlpa.fast.net/209.92.228.214)

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> Again, let's read EVERY word more carefully, please! -- Richard, 12:30:03 10/09/02 Wed (pcp01902285pcs.coatsv01.pa.comcast.net/68.83.144.23)

I said PERHAPS there are a certain amount of Muslim radicals.. The use of the word PERHAPS leaves room for doubt. PERHAPS precludes any definity. So that means there might only be only 5K, I wouldn't know. No one really knows, do they? The figure was put forth to illustrate this premise only: even if possibly 10, 20, 30K radical Muslims exist, it doesn't warrant the hysteria against Muslims in general, since there are over 1 billion of them. What is 30k into 1.2 billion expressed as a percentage? C'mon, you're the math teacher, you can tell us more quickly than it would take me to find a calculator. Condemning a whole denomination based on the actions of a possibly small percentage is ignorant. Let's not forget the innocent American Muslim citizens and houses of worship being verbally abused and attacked or following 9/11, in addition to Hindu business owners being mistaken for Muslims by ignorant swine looking for outlets for their hate. Let's also not forget to include that in this dialogue, in the interests of clarity, comprehensiveness, and appearing unbiased. This is turning into what happened in this country during WW1 and WW2, when many people tried to scapegoat other people of foreign descent only peripherally connected to the enemies of the day.

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> I think you will find Jihadism far more pervasive than you think. -- SurveyGuy, 22:51:25 10/09/02 Wed (maxtnt03-50.phlpa.fast.net/209.92.230.50)

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> I must disagree with you! Mother Theresa's nuns and Homeschoolers are the most dangerous and evil people in the world! Muslims are the most pure, the most chaste, the most loving, compassionate, and peaceful! Even the Muslims who plan to slaughter United States citizens and Jews in their Jihad, are so sweet and holy! -- William, 02:45:41 10/10/02 Thu (cache-dq01.proxy.aol.com/205.188.209.133)

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> But the most annoying at Johovah's Witnesses. -- SG, 10:02:57 10/10/02 Thu (vlan3proxy.ccp.cc.pa.us/63.121.99.36)

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[> [> [> [> [> [> When they are proven to be true time and time again...yes. Please direct us to the link of the picture where these peaceful, terrorist-hating muslims are giving the finger to somebody besides US. Please direct us to links showing outrage for not only attacks against us and Israel, but against those within our borders who espouse such vile acts. Show me the outrage. I have been waiting for over a year to see and/or see or hear it. -- JL, 20:39:08 10/09/02 Wed (pcp01376707pcs.selrsv01.pa.comcast.net/68.80.69.241)

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> The reason the peaceful Muslims are afraid to speak out is thatthey are afraid. Remember Salmon Rushdi on whom the peace loving Ayatollah's put out a death warrant for writing a book? -- SurveyGuy, 23:00:49 10/09/02 Wed (maxtnt03-50.phlpa.fast.net/209.92.230.50)

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> What you said is an absolute and irrefutable fact! As recently as this month Yassar Arafat had some more Palestinians murdered. These people were chosen on such criteria as: They were a threat to his position; they disagreed with him; they wanted peace with Israel. The Muslim fanatics have gone after their own because they were not Militant enough or because they did not hate Jews or US citizens or because they did speak out against their Jihad. -- William, 02:40:10 10/10/02 Thu (cache-dq01.proxy.aol.com/205.188.209.133)

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> It appears that our countrymen and women, including the two congresspersons who spoke against our president from inside Iraq but sided with Saddam Hussein, cliaming that they don't trust President Bush but that we should give Saddam Hussein the benefit of the doubt, overlook these things. -- William, 02:41:56 10/10/02 Thu (cache-dq01.proxy.aol.com/205.188.209.133)

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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> You surely ARE 100% on this one. But wouldn't that be like me having to be fearful of, say, you? And maybe William, Spock, or 'H' turning my card for speaking my mind? Yes, we certainly need to be more understanding and accepting of a culture such as that. islum (sic) - the religion of peace and love. -- JL, 19:16:16 10/17/02 Thu (pcp01376707pcs.selrsv01.pa.comcast.net/68.80.69.241)

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