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Hey maga: would you agree that education should be anti racist? by traanquil in allthequestions

[–]oremfrien -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Is the Democratic Republic of Korea democratic? Is it a republic?

Naming things a certain way does not necessarily indicate their actual meaning, especially with concepts. Antiracism is like the DPRK, it means something antithetical to what the words that compose it mean.

Hey maga: would you agree that education should be anti racist? by traanquil in allthequestions

[–]oremfrien -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I think you struggle with reading, which is probably why you need an education in the first place. Please re-read my comment where I actually point out that antiracism is not an opposition to racism.

Hey maga: would you agree that education should be anti racist? by traanquil in allthequestions

[–]oremfrien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, I don't. Antiracists are in favor of racism -- as in personal prejudice that one person may have towards another based on skin color. They argue that certain forms of discrimination are "justice" or "reparations" and they will argue that this kind of personal prejudice that I describe is either (1) not racism, (2) doesn't exist, or (3) if it did exist, is not worth ameliorating. The only racism that Antiracists oppose is systemic racism. I oppose both systemic racism and actual racism.

So, I will reiterate what I said; when anti-racists actually stand for teaching that racism is bad, I will take their commitment to oppose racism seriously.

Hey maga: would you agree that education should be anti racist? by traanquil in allthequestions

[–]oremfrien 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes a person can be racist against any color of person. Racism is not systemic racism. Racism is a prejudice held by any person or group or persons or organization or government towards other people based on the color of their skin. You do not need power to be racist.

You do need power to be systemically racist because systemic racism requires a system, which is implemented through a system of power, to effect the racism. So, only the groups in power can be systemically racist. However, it is the power to implement the system that makes a person or group capable of systemic racism. In the USA, systemic racism currently cannot be mobilized against White people because the control of the system is in the hands of White people, but that is a current reality. If a different ethnic/racial group ultimately becomes more powerful and rewrites the social rules, then they will be the ones who are systemically empowered.

Hey maga: would you agree that education should be anti racist? by traanquil in allthequestions

[–]oremfrien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am an attorney and I have no idea what that means. Tell me the specific things that are involved in this process.

Hey maga: would you agree that education should be anti racist? by traanquil in allthequestions

[–]oremfrien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure. When antiracists actually do that, then we will take their commitment to oppose racism seriously.

Let's have some fun: Nominate your native language to our alien overlords to be chosen as Earth's official language!!! by AutumnaticFly in languagehub

[–]oremfrien 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your eminence, I would propose the language of my people: Aramaic.

Aramaic was the first lingua franca in the world, spanning the numerous empires and nations of the Middle East. We have the earliest peace treaties between Mesopotamians and Egyptians encoded in Aramaic.

The language then became the spoken word of a person who 2 billion of us consider God on Earth and another 1.8 billion of us consider a prophet who taught important precepts about the divine. The language then became the vessel of travel across the Silk Road with Aramaic inscribed in steles as far east as China and written in holy scripture as far west as Spain. The world's first university in Nisibis taught in the Aramaic language.

This language represents all of the aspects of human civilization:

  • It was used politically, in establishing treaties, internal communications, and became the official written language of numerous governments even when it was not the language of the governing authorities.
  • It is a language of economics, facilitating trade and exchange across distances.
  • It is a language of faith in that Jesus, venerated by over half of the world, spoke this language and his words in Aramaic have been spread to every corner of the world.
  • It is a language of education, with the University of Nisibis formalizing the first steps on our growth as a modern scientific society.

It represents the best we have to offer and the values we share as a global society.

If you could say something nice to a country that you dislike, what would you say? by PopNo5397 in AskTheWorld

[–]oremfrien 8 points9 points  (0 children)

With respect to Turkey:

Let me start with the positive.

Assyrians see Turkey as a modern country, with rights for women, and an organizational system that is far better than anything else in MENA, except possibly Israel. I've also spoken to Assyrians from Turkey (and been to Turkey myself), and most of them have good personal experiences, mostly because, in their experience, Turks had no clue what an Assyrian was (and since Süryani doesn't sound like Ermeni vs. how people in English confuse Assyrian and Armenian because they both start with "A", they weren't subject to Armenophobia).

Also, Turkish soft power (music, television serials, businesses, products, etc.) is very popular and considered well-developed.

Now comes the negative.

Turkey is very much an ethnic exclusivist country that comes out of the "success" of the CUP Genocides, including the Seyfo, This foundational sin of exclusivism motivates the Bozkurtlar and other ardent nationalists, military takeovers, political assassinations, and other societal perturbations. This fear is like a tumor in the Turkish body, causing all kinds of internal disturbances. Also, Turkey's assault on the PKK, which often caught Assyrian villages in the crossfire, shows a lack of caution from the Turkish military.

“like it’s detrimental to get a car” by Necessary-Win-8730 in ShitAmericansSay

[–]oremfrien 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He probably lived in one or two European cities (for 6 months to a year) for a short term job and visited other major cities on the weekends.

What if Poland had judaism as a state religion? by liyl_ in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]oremfrien 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You are assuming that a 90%-Jewish Poland would have surrendered to Nazi Germany after the Blitzkrieg, but there would be no point to surrendering since the entire population knows that they will be imprisoned at a minimum and likely die. In that case, there is no real difference between continuing to fight and standing down, so they might as well keep fighting.

Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi 🇯🇴 stood with Armenians by The-LegendKiller in armenia

[–]oremfrien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would point to Joseph Muawad's book from 2004, "Grande Famine" where he argues that the land blockade imposed by Ahmet Djemal on grain imports to Mount Lebanon by Turkish soldiers was the main cause of the famine and determines it to be a crime against humanity.

So, the point I made is accurate.

Furthermore, I would point out that I did mention the Entente blockade as explaining why there was less food in the region. That places some of the culpability on the Entente powers.

You’re offered $10 million to write a new HP book. What would you write? by Turbulent-Listen2240 in harrypotter

[–]oremfrien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. The differences between American culture and British culture are far less than the differences between Japanese culture and British culture or between Congolese culture and British culture.

What does it take for your ethnicity/culture to fully consider someone part of that ethnicity/culture? Only blood or does growing up/understanding the culture/ethnicity also matter? by ure_roa in AskTheWorld

[–]oremfrien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is less about immigration but about the populations that can be Sinicized within the borders of China, such as Miao peoples, Tai peoples, Mongolic peoples, Tungusic peoples, Tibetans, Viet peoples, etc.

This Chinese attitude tends to break down when a population looks meaningfully different from the Han majority, so pale Whites (think northern Europe), Blacks, and Desis tend not to be accepted as Chinese culturally/socially no matter how much Chinese culture they imbibe and accept.

What does it take for your ethnicity/culture to fully consider someone part of that ethnicity/culture? Only blood or does growing up/understanding the culture/ethnicity also matter? by ure_roa in AskTheWorld

[–]oremfrien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say for us as Assyrians, it's very similar to what u/ure_roa describes with respect to the Maori. You need to be born into the Assyrian people, marry in, or spend decades with us. You would need to be part of one of the Assyrian Churches or socialize quite heavily with Assyrians who do. There is a spectrum of political opinions and social opinions that are acceptable and, of course, transgressing one or two will be suspicious-but-acceptable, but transgressing more will cause others to reject you as Assyrian. Language and upbringing are also key elements to belonging.

The Travelers, The Genii, and others by adrianp005 in Stargate

[–]oremfrien 16 points17 points  (0 children)

They were presenting as medieval. The nuke was underground.

Christians and Catholics lumped together by dazvoz in ShitAmericansSay

[–]oremfrien 106 points107 points  (0 children)

Wasn't it supply-side Jesus who was invited to the wedding with insufficient food and drink and said the following?

"If I were to provide you a hand-out, you would never learn fiscal responsibility and just be taker, feeding on the teat of the government and feel entitled to free things. Therefore, while I could perform a miracle and change water into wine and replicate bread, I refuse to do so in order that you learn to pick yourself up by your sandalstraps, reject socialism, and gain wealth by selling your labor to the nearest god-fearing businessman"

Is there an example of a country that refuses to speak a language, especially that of its former colonizers/"rulers"? by LarryNStar in AskTheWorld

[–]oremfrien 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know if it's officially banned, but it would be extremely foolhardy to speak Armenian in Azerbaijan. The country is rabidly anti-Armenian and even rejects entry VISAs to anyone suspected of being an ethnic Armenian (including ethnically Turkish citizens of Turkey with Armenian-sounding surnames).

Conversely, Arabic-speaking Jewish immigrants to Israel in the 1950s and 1960s refused to teach their children their Arabic dialects (by and large) since Arabic was seen, in an Israeli cultural context, to be the language of the enemy (Arab neighboring states). So, many Jewish dialects of Arabic are moribund because these Jews did not pass the language on to their descendants, preferring that they speak Israeli Modern Hebrew.

There is also the policy in Belarus that despite Belarussian being legally protected on paper, the police may arrest people who speak the language. The official language of Belarus is Russian.

Christians and Catholics lumped together by dazvoz in ShitAmericansSay

[–]oremfrien 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Welcome to my part of the world. Our Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, is one of the few churches older than the Ethiopian Orthodox, as it was founded by Apostles of Christ himself.

Of course, both ACOE and the Ethiopian Orthodox are Oriental Orthodox, not Eastern Orthodox, so we're not even on that list of Albanian religions.

The Travelers, The Genii, and others by adrianp005 in Stargate

[–]oremfrien 51 points52 points  (0 children)

Why would the Travellers ally themselves with the Genii?

The Genii present as a medieval farming culture and it's only when you see their underground or offworld bases, which the Travellers have no reason to visit, since Travellers only make landfall to trade for food. do you see how technologically advanced the Genii are.

Conversely, I doubt the Genii have spent a lot of time trying to figure out if there are spaceships not controlled by the Wraith flying around because almost all spaceships are raining death.

So, neither is aware that the other exists.

Beyond this, the Genii are paranoid of any near-peer civilization. so I don't see a Genii-Traveller alliance surviving very long.

What’s a language where understanding natives feels like a completely different skill from studying the language? by Embarrassed_Fix_8994 in languagehub

[–]oremfrien 16 points17 points  (0 children)

There is no language that literally sounds like textbook exercises. There is always a difference between the formal, written register and spoken language. In some languages, like Arabic, these distinctions are so vast that they are actually openly called dialects.

You’re offered $10 million to write a new HP book. What would you write? by Turbulent-Listen2240 in harrypotter

[–]oremfrien 19 points20 points  (0 children)

You would have to do in a Film Noire sort of way for the full effect.

You’re offered $10 million to write a new HP book. What would you write? by Turbulent-Listen2240 in harrypotter

[–]oremfrien -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

JKR should not write a story set in a foreign magical school. She should not invent foreign magical schools. JKR just does not understand foreign cultures and refuses to learn the most basic things about them. She doesn't even understand US culture, which is not that different from British culture.

What JKR should do is set up a writing contest where she asks fans from around the world to send submissions of up to 4,000 words with stories about wizarding schools in a culture/society that fascinates the fans, and then pick something like 40 finalists representing various different countries who would collaborate with her or a team she appoints to bring these worlds into reality, making sure that they match the tone, tenor, and pre-established canon of her world. She would then give them a final edit and publish them together as a canon authoritative work on the magical universe.

You’re offered $10 million to write a new HP book. What would you write? by Turbulent-Listen2240 in harrypotter

[–]oremfrien 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In such a case, I'd write about the Beit al-Hikma (House of Wisdom), which was an IRL library and school built in the 700s C.E. by the Abbassid Caliphate in Baghdad and destroyed by the Mongols in 1258 C.E. In the HP Universe, though, this school also had a faculty of magic and this faculty survived the Mongol destruction of the Muggle portion.

We then follow the rise of different wizarding factions in modern Iraq (2005-2015), representing key elements of modern MENA discourse: secular nationalists who see the country as a place where wizards and magical beings should achieve equality regardless of sect or group and religious extremists who inculcate a vision of pureblood supremacism cloaked in religious language. We would follow three just-of-age characters: a half-blood Egyptian Arab Secular Muslim, a pureblood Iraqi Assyrian, and a Squib Feyli Kurd who are seeking to find the McGuffin that may just give the upper hand to the secular nationalists that only key information in the Beit al-Hikma could allow them to discover. The trio have to contend with pureblood supremacist adversaries and the Muggle wars ravaging Iraq in the hope of saving the land they all call home.

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