> Greg Burch writes,
>
> > Furthermore, there are undeniable racist ... currents in the
> > militia culture, absolute anathema to extropians.
>
> This should be stated explicitly in the Extropian Principles.
> It would clarify who is and who is not extropian.
>
> Greg also writes:
>
> > I've noted a disturbing phenomenon when discussing
> > extropianism and transhumanism with folks who are either
> > aware of the ideas themselves or not: Through some
> > memetic mapping process, people seem to somehow
> > link these movements with the violent fringe crazies of the
> > "militia movement".
>
> It would be a good idea to clarify this, too.
One of the things that sets my teeth on edge about "political correctness" is
the apparent requirement in that creed that just about any public statement
be full of race and gender "disclaimers". Frankly, I enjoy lampooning such
nonsense. I think the Extropian Principles so strongly imply a regime of
liberty, reciprocity and maximal peace that we shouldn't *have to* say
anything about race, gender and violence. I might add the same about an
appropriate respect for the natural biological environemnt of the Earth,
another area where extropians are woefully misunderstood by some (a
well-known pet peeve of mine).
Nevertheless, Lyle may have a good point here. Because our explicit
opponents and the superficial, simplistic press may well be inclined to tar
us with the same brush that portrays racism and the violence of the "militia
movement", some form of explicit statements regarding these matters may be in
order.
Greg Burch <GBurch1@aol.com> <burchg@liddellsapp.com>
http://users.aol.com/gburch1/ or http://members.aol.com/gburch1/
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
-- Albert Einstein