# The American Talibans... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 20, 2005, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048 "2005-06-20T14:09:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/121 "2005-06-23T01:20:19Z")
**Rashak Mani** : Why are you avoiding the point? Do you really not understand the impact tossing around phrases like “All of ‘group’ X do Y?” Are you totally clueless? If so, educate yourself. If you’re not clueless, are you really an anti-semite? I can’t really see other options. It’s not enough to keep making boneheaded statements, defend them for a while, and then quasi-apologize. The goal is to stop making the statements. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/122 "2005-06-23T02:05:11Z")
> [@Rashak Mani](#): > > Sorry if you’ve taken it personally Finn… but even the smilies have a jew -\> ;j > > Jews suffered and died in the millions… so did Soviets, Gypsies and all sorts of minorities. I visited a concentration camp in Germany. I’m well aware of what happened… but I won’t due to political sensitivity pretend that everyone is equal and stuff happens only due to evil people. Or that the evils of the past justify any current actions. We know our history and we know how things ended happening. That’s no different than the argument used by the bigots who claim that the slaves don’t have anything to really bitch about, since the Irish and Russians were sometimes indentured. I call them on it, so I’m going to call you on it, too. Yes, Soviets died and Gypsies died, but that has squat to do with what the Jews went through, and even if it were worse (it wasn’t), that doesn’t excuse the holocaust. Atrocity “A” **never** makes atrocity “B” more acceptable. Never. Not only that, but it’s a debate method more frequently used by those whose positions you most despise, so I’m surprised to see you use it here. I was hoping you’d come in and offer a much better explanation for your use of the term “stick out”, but it didn’t happen. While I’m not ready to call you anti-semitic, I will say that your use of generalizations is a lot broader than I’m comfortable with, and I think you should make sure that your problem is one of communication and not one of thought. ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/123 "2005-06-24T01:26:53Z")
Sorry had a busy day… read the post will answer tommorrow. Meanwhile RPGers have fun with stereotypes: [D&D around the World](http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=137153&page=1&pp=40) ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/124 "2005-06-24T13:49:00Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > The goal is to stop making the statements. ``` I agree that making broad "statements" doesn't help. But how much of this is politically correct talk? How much is this becoming a "N" word thingy ? This is what irks me. (reminds me to search those old threads about stereotypes) Most of my quotes posted here were sarcastic... so its an issue of bad taste rather than anti-semitism IMO. ``` DMC it wasn’t about excusing the holocaust or any other atrocity. In fact the contrary… how past atrocities seem to be used to justify the new ones. Putting things into perspective or current relevance is important IMO… as the holocaust or slavery shouldn’t be a defense of anything jews or blacks do or get decades later, **unless** its relevant to today’s problem. (Slavery in some ways is still relevant to brazilian blacks exclusion from the middle class for example regarding education and equal opportunities. So it should be about equalizing… not compensating.) DMC I understand the “blacks bitching about slavery” excuse you mentioned… but at some point that has or will become irrelevant. Until when can slavery be a catch all root of all the problems of blacks here ? (maybe US too?) Their being treated as second rate citizens unable to go ahead and needing special treatment or protection is good ? We are having problems with this currently here… and the patronizing view of the blacks I think is counterproductive. Especially because most of them here have a real problem of poverty and lousy public education. I’d rather see focus given on what causes that inequality and discrimination now… ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/125 "2005-06-24T15:03:15Z")
> [@Rashak Mani](#): > > I agree that making broad “statements” doesn’t help. But how much of this is politically correct talk? None. It’s about truth, and the ramifications that generalizations about ‘groups’ can have. > [@Rashak Mani](#): > > Most of my quotes posted here were sarcastic… so its an issue of bad taste rather than anti-semitism IMO. Indeed, I said it was pretty much binary; either you were clueless and offensive or anti-semitic. Some statements, if you really do believe them, you need to take a good look at. Jews don’t stick out, at least the huge majority of us don’t. Jews everywhere aren’t anything. Etc… Just be careful of the generalizations you toss around. Specifics are often more valuable. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/126 "2005-06-24T16:26:54Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Jews everywhere aren’t anything. Jews everywhere are mammals. ;j ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/127 "2005-06-24T16:32:59Z")
I’ve known a few who were distinctly reptilian 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/128 "2005-06-24T19:15:25Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Jews don’t stick out, at least the huge majority of us don’t. Jews everywhere aren’t anything. Etc… > > Just be careful of the generalizations you toss around. Specifics are often more valuable. I’ll be more careful, (you might be a little less touchy too)… though I can’t avoid smirking at the “jews everywhere aren’t anything”… thats a broad statement. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/129 "2005-06-24T19:22:41Z")
> [@Rashak Mani](#): > > I’ll be more careful, (you might be a little less touchy too)… Thank you, but it’s not a question about being touchy. I’ve gone on record on the Dope, more than once, as opposing ascribing fungibility to any ‘group’. Yes, there are statistical facts. And there are cultural influences. But that still means we need to be careful when we make statements. > [@Rashak Mani](#): > > though I can’t avoid smirking at the “jews everywhere aren’t anything”… thats a broad statement. “Jews everywhere.” ≠ “Value X” How is that formulation incorrect? In order to prove it’s incorrect, you’d need to show that Jews everywhere are some specific ‘thing’ or ‘value’. And you can’t do that. Unless we stick to “Jews are human”, which really tells us nothing and doesn’t need to be stated, right? ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/130 "2005-06-24T19:27:14Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Unless we stick to “Jews are human”, which really tells us nothing and doesn’t need to be stated, right? Yep… humans or mammals… 🙂 Well in theory an alien could convert to Judaism so we never know. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/131 "2005-06-24T19:30:41Z")
Run a google search for “Alien Jew”. The first hit is hillarious, though I’m not sure it’s supposed to be. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/132 "2005-06-25T12:35:47Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > I’ve known a few who were distinctly reptilian 😉 I don’t know who to call first- David Icke or Pastor Arnold Murray! ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/133 "2005-07-01T13:23:31Z")
[Are Jews Smarter Thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320766) Didn’t read the links or the replies posted… but I guess FinnAgain would have an interest. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048/134 "2005-07-01T19:18:42Z")
Already saw it. Check out **Tom** ’s post: > [@](#): > > …Rather, what they are claiming (beyond the association with the geneticv diseases) is that at the outliers of the population, there are more individuals with higher scores, so that generally the compared populations have roughly equivalent intelligence, but among the smartest individuals in each group, there is a higher percentage of individuals with extremely high scores among the Ashkenazim. This is not quite the same thing that most people think of when they hear that one group is smarter than most other people… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-talibans/309048.md?page=6)