https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=16P7p9P7tMk
This statement by Liam Neeson, during an open interview with a journo has induced widespread outrage.
Many have jumped onto their pulpits … frothed at the mouth … hollered, screamed, moaned, groaned … in righteous indignation and condemnation … of a man that had the courage and integrity to say what he did … what he felt … and that it was wrong … and that he deeply regretted it.
This statement by Liam Neeson, during an open interview with a journo has induced widespread outrage.
Many have jumped onto their pulpits … frothed at the mouth … hollered, screamed, moaned, groaned … in righteous indignation and condemnation … of a man that had the courage and integrity to say what he did … what he felt … and that it was wrong … and that he deeply regretted it.
Now Please clear your mind and listen to Liam Neeson slowly.
This is an instance of a human being telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth … without seeking to be excused … only to be recognized as a human being … with human failings … and to be forgiven.
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| John Barnes |
The starting point is to realize that we are all inherently prejudiced. We are prejudiced in favour of our family … or community … our village … our district … our race/ethnic group … our country.
It is as natural as breathing.
It is why we "automatically" side with and support our own in sporting events such as the Olympics.
So there is an “us” and “them” culture deeply embedded in our psyche. It is encoded in our DNA. It became encoded when we were still in a cave … huddled together … utterly dependent on our group … against man and beast out there.
It is why we "automatically" side with and support our own in sporting events such as the Olympics.
So there is an “us” and “them” culture deeply embedded in our psyche. It is encoded in our DNA. It became encoded when we were still in a cave … huddled together … utterly dependent on our group … against man and beast out there.
If a hyena came and took a child, we would go out and slaughter any and all hyenas we could find.
If a member of another group killed one of us … we would go out and slaughter any members of that group that we could find.
If a member of another group killed one of us … we would go out and slaughter any members of that group that we could find.
We did this in terms of another deep-seated instinct. That instinct expresses itself as “fight … flight … freeze … and/or revenge”. All those elements have to do with our basic instinct of “survival” that Charles Darwin expressed as “survival of the fittest”.
Survival of the fittest necessarily encompasses a need for dominance.
The jump from being simply prejudiced to indulging in racism is a hair breath wide. It only needs a trigger .. and we have all made that jump at some time in our lives.
Survival of the fittest necessarily encompasses a need for dominance.
The jump from being simply prejudiced to indulging in racism is a hair breath wide. It only needs a trigger .. and we have all made that jump at some time in our lives.
So understand that when one of our own … whom we love and cherish is attacked … all these instincts coalesce in our psyche as an attack on “us” by “them” ….
and a need to get revenge wells up as a very powerful driving force over which we might have little … marginal or no control … even when we know that what we then do is wrong. Thus it is that our laws have come to accept that there is a defense even to an apparently heinous killing as “sane automatism” … where we know that what we are doing … we know that it is wrong … but we cannot stop ourselves.
We are all potentially racist ... because we are naturally prejudiced. So if an Islamic fundamentalist bombs our family we will naturally want to kill any Muslims in the immediate aftermath.
At the heart of the reason why Donald J Trump is the President of the most powerful nation on the planet was that he leveraged human propensity to have "us" ... "them" ... and "others".
This culture informs his perspective, policies, operational culture and mode. Its astounding success was/is due to the fact that it accords with human nature and instinct to be dominant.
MAGA, i.e "Make America Great Again" is no more, no less, an expression of a human need for dominance, called "native nationalism".
It is important to note that Liam was not out to gratuitously murder any so-called “Black” person. He was intent on killing if such person attacked or threatened him. So-called“Blacks” were now "them" and any more aggression on their part was going to be dealt with resolutely.
and a need to get revenge wells up as a very powerful driving force over which we might have little … marginal or no control … even when we know that what we then do is wrong. Thus it is that our laws have come to accept that there is a defense even to an apparently heinous killing as “sane automatism” … where we know that what we are doing … we know that it is wrong … but we cannot stop ourselves.
We are all potentially racist ... because we are naturally prejudiced. So if an Islamic fundamentalist bombs our family we will naturally want to kill any Muslims in the immediate aftermath.
At the heart of the reason why Donald J Trump is the President of the most powerful nation on the planet was that he leveraged human propensity to have "us" ... "them" ... and "others".This culture informs his perspective, policies, operational culture and mode. Its astounding success was/is due to the fact that it accords with human nature and instinct to be dominant.
MAGA, i.e "Make America Great Again" is no more, no less, an expression of a human need for dominance, called "native nationalism".
It is important to note that Liam was not out to gratuitously murder any so-called “Black” person. He was intent on killing if such person attacked or threatened him. So-called“Blacks” were now "them" and any more aggression on their part was going to be dealt with resolutely.
It is obvious that he regained his “normal sentient responsible” self. That is why he is horrified at his actions. That he is a very decent human being is proved by his complete honesty about the matter. It can be accepted that his remorse is 100% genuine.
Regrettably what “colours” public perception of the whole saga is that there is a “political correctness” that accrues when a matter involves so-called “Blacks”. This is because they are generally perceived as victims and generally perceive themselves as victims.
So please get off your pulpit if you are on one … stop frothing at the mouth if you are … cease your pontifical condemnation … and understand when a very good human being is admitting human failing and seeking forgiveness.
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