Lee said
>>> A quite unnecessary semantic quagmire opens up under us whenever we
>>> try to discuss the "M" word in the abstract, instead of much more
>>> usefully attacking the things we dislike or think are harmful to
>>> people, e.g., adultery, disloyalty, brutality, political correctness,
>>> divisiveness, racism, diversity, separatism, zenophobia, etc.
>>
>> Why is "diversity" on this list? All things being equal, I *like*
>> diversity.
>
>That's funny. Because I was trying to be global in listing a
>lot of things that people don't like---it's remarkable that you
>didn't agree only with one!
I see. Actually, there are a couple I have reservations about, but
"diversity" was the one that struck me.
Let's go through them.
Adultery: well, I've expressed support from time to time for the principle
of polyamory, so I obviously have a reservation about this one. However,
there's no doubt that in many contexts adultery is disloyal and destructive,
so I didn't quibble about its inclusion.
Disloyalty: A characteristic I dislike very strongly.
Brutality: Likewise, almost as much.
Political correctness: This one is complex, but I generally agree that what
*I* call political correctness (which we could discuss) is a bad thing.
However, political correctness is only a sub-set of left-liberal ideas or
social democratic ones - as you know, I am not opposed to all such ideas.
Divisiveness: Another hard one. Principled dissent, disagreement and
argument are good things. But "divisiveness" to me means more than than; it
means creating division for its own sake, being disruptive, not being a team
player. I thought that was what you meant and agreed it was a bad thing (ie
it is something I dislike and invite others to).
Racism: Something I strongly dislike.
Diversity: The only one I like without qualification (and it's not the same
as "divisiveness" as I understand it).
Separatism: To me this means the idea that indigenous peoples in countries
such as Australia and the US should form their own countries, separating
from the Commonwealth or the union. That's what the word usually means over
here. It might mean something else over there. With that meaning, I think
it's a lousy idea.
Xenophobia: I *like* people from other countries.
So, with a reservation about how we should think about adultery, and with my
interpretations of what these words mean, I thought this was a pretty good
list of things to dislike - with the glaring exception of "diversity".
Sorry to misinterpret your meaning.
Russell
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