Fwd: New High School Principal's speech to students.

Zenaan Harkness zen at freedbms.net
Tue Feb 2 19:25:42 PST 2016


On 2/2/16, Endless <3ndless at riseup.net> wrote:
>> My kinda speech,
>> Zenaan
>>
>> ---
>> New high school principal
>>
>> A Speech Every Australian High School Principal Should Give.

As a "P.S." to others, I thought it was obvious this speech was
someone's "...Should Give" hypothetical, so sorry for any confusion to
the contrary - perhaps I should have edited it before forwarding, and
in the light of the responses, some parts of which I do agree with, it
does need editing.


> Hello Zenaan,

Hello :)

> Wouldn't it be nice if we all lived in a world without racism? A world
> without prejudice based on ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation?

Yes. And in my world, having grown up in Australia with some
non-anglos, and having been quite the outcast throughout my schooling,
I believe I have at least a little awareness of such things. Just last
Sunday, I felt the resigned pain of another, in a face to face
conversation where he said to me "really, thank you very much [for
your compliment], you have no idea how many times I get insulted to my
face here in Australia" (he's been here over 20 years), to which I
responded "sadly, Australians are often [in my opinion] immature and
hurtful".

Also, I strongly object to those who would impose their particular
political ideology on my spare time, on my personal preferences, just
as much as I hope others pull me up from doing so (or implying so)
towards others.


> Prejudice and racism propagate in locations where people are not exposed
> to other cultures and taught to look outward towards the world in view
> of peace and tolerance.

Do you say I am ('morally') allowed to be intolerant of those who are
intolerant of me?


> Banning cultural, national or ethnic
> celebrations creates an environment where only one cultural outlook is
> valued and respected, contributing to the idea that all other cultures
> should be shunned and dismissed. This is the essence of racism and
> intolerance, founded in ignorance and lack of outward perception.

I think we view the see saw of
 a) gradual, pervasive and dominating political correctness on the one hand and
 b) the kick-back by those who feel in this country (and I say rightly
so), the effective violation of our own right to celebrate our own
religion/ holidays/ foods/ etc.

Unfortunately, the collective reaction to "political correctness gone
mad" is sometimes also not "healthy" or "ideal".

I live with a general sense that I am expected to feel guilty or wrong
for wanting certain attributes in a partner, for wanting to enjoy the
fruits of my own activities and labour, that I am supposed to put
every damaged individual and or minority, ON THE PLANET, ahead of my
own needs, my own desires for myself and or my family and or MY tribe
(tribe as I define and choose, of my own desires, my own free will).

It is my right to choose to associate with those whom I choose, those
whom I judge to share my principles, those whom I enjoy the company
of.

Juan and Rayzer go hammer and tong at each other, then turn around and
find consensus (perhaps rarely). I really, really appreciate how
others too on this list, can let it all out, appear to blow their
fuckin tops, then in the next breath be civil and constructive on some
technical or other topic.

WE ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE THIS ENVIRONMENT.

It is our right to stretch our brains, our emotions, our communication
abilities, in these ways, to clash in words. Fuck, it's certainly less
painful than a sword or fist fight.

In this age of technology, creating a "digital community" is a few
clicks away. Lest ANYONE presume to take away our right to sharpen our
collective swords against each other in this tiny (!!) corner of the
digital world - well, be prepared for a juicy and vibrant
digital-verbal crucifixion!

We WILL enjoy our pop corn.


> Open clubs created in order to promote understanding of differing
> cultures and people belonging to different minorities, said to "divide
> students" in the speech you have so relevantly and tactfully distributed
> among this mailing list, aid in supporting a message of tolerance and
> acceptance of diversity to the point where they may form the core of a
> school's strategy against racism. Banning or otherwise dismantling such
> clubs would further reduce opportunities for a school's students to
> engage with other cultures and develop a wider perspective that takes
> into account the differences of all people in this world.

You may well be right. (And I need no ego stroking (yes, I'm guilty of
doing the same).)

I do think we are grappling with a genuinely broad issue in the
Western world today.

The PC (politically correct) position is easy - "inclusiveness",
"tolerance", etc

The hard part is holding ground on the flip side - right to 'racial
strength' (as I define it), individual right to joust, right to choose
my associations and to gather in the face of extremely fascist
post-"9/11" laws which are yet to be significantly implemented against
us, but are wide open doors.

The danger is dumning down ourselves, our conversations, in the name
of "inclusiveness" etc.

"If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything."


> Furthermore, allowing some classes, designed to cater for international
> students, to proceed in a language other than English, is critical in
> fostering an environment where students from other cultures are welcome
> and able to learn alongside students that are typically considered
> "ethnically Australian".

Possibly. But here, and I'd really like to see more from others in
this regard, is to unravel the unspoken assumptions.
My words are clumsy, but I'll try naming some assumptions:

- that there are no negatives to the suggestion (classes dedicated to
all foreign students, in all foreign languages, is good/ "critically
or vitally essential" to achieving some "good" outcome)

- ignoring the very real issues with certain cultures and there
tendency to form little tribes (to not "integrate" to use the PC term)

- that foreign students being required to use local language (English
in my country) for all classes is bad

- the foreign language classes are "critical in fostering ... welcome-ness"

- that cultural integration is important, as opposed to understanding
and appreciation and caring and love for, other cultures and their
uniqueness

- more?


> Failing to foster such an environment not only
> results

Assertions unqualified imply absolutes which are unchallenged.
More precise discourse please.


> in an ethnically homogenous school population, characterized by
> strong opinions against diversity,

- "local diversity is great" say you; I can say (per my own youth)
that interaction with those of another culture at a young age -may-
result in greater empathy, but I cannot say this with any certainty...

Tell me, do you say an ethnically/ religiously/ blahly "diverse"
school environment is better than a homogenous environment?

In what ways?

Do you say there could be problems with that?

What sort of problems?

You see, throwing out a bunch of assertions, and hoping some of the
mud sticks, well fuck it, you're asking too much - that's lazy,
wanting others to do all the work of refining your argument/ position/
politics/ intentions.

Don't be so fucking lazy!


> but also tears down the advances in
> tolerance and global thinking put forward by programs such as open
> school clubs and cultural celebrations.

ditto - what are the costs? Do you see any costs/ negatives?


> In today's connected age, where it is not longer important, but
> essential, to be able to interact with and understand those from
> differing cultures and geographic locations,

Yeah?

It's not "essential" for me to "interact" with or understand anyone
from fucking anywhere, except so far as I have a personal interest or
desire to do so. ALL generalisations are disprovable, except for this
one.

And on the flip side, prove that there is some problem here in cypherpunks land.

Start with a real, actual problem, not a political agenda!


> I truly hope that you did not mean "your kinda speech" to be one of
> intolerance and prejudice,

True, I did not.

"My kind of speech" as in bold, attempting to communicate something
currently unspoken, unseen perhaps by many.

Other-cultural awareness ought not require my-culture sacrifice/ dessolution.

Other-sexuality tolerance / inclusiveness must not require
my-sexuality denial and abnegation.

Acceptance of those different to me, must NOT require me to STOP
celebrating who I am, nor to give up MY right to live my rights,
manifest my desires, live MY version of a "happy life".

There are abundant ways to create digital communities that cater to
emotionally weak or hyper sensitive people who may or may not require
professional help, who may well find that the nature of discourse on
cypherpunks (for a random example) is outside their abillity to
tolerate, to accept, to enjoy, to engage in, or even to read.

That is their problem, not ours!

We must not sacrifice our own preference for a spare-time
communication forum - we have a right to what we want too, just as
others have a right to create what they want.

It's been said before in other words: making all forums, all
communities, "homogeneous", destroys the very individuality and
uniqueness that the PC-crowd is wanting "inclusiveness" for in the
first place. That direction is really bloody stupid!

This simple truth, extends to physical communities.

Regards,
Zenaan



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