tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post6074615169261458375..comments2024-03-19T01:48:39.709+00:00Comments on Power and Control: Pornography At WarM. Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09508934110558197375noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post-64789573299970917782008-02-08T19:10:00.000+00:002008-02-08T19:10:00.000+00:00"The dreams of a culture matter. In Islam they dre...<I>"The dreams of a culture matter. In Islam they dream of virgins in heaven. In America we have college campuses.<BR/><BR/>Which dream is the more attractive?"</I><BR/><BR/>It depends on the campus. From what I see happening at Berkeley lately I think I would rather spend a semester in Hell.<BR/><BR/>The rapid urbanization in the Middle East will probably improve the economics of Whiskey too since even nations that ban it will have large cities and transportation infrastructure where beer barons and rum runners can improve the payoff to risk ratio. Already there are many Muslims who drink beer as well as consume pornography. When one sees that the risks associated with a "vice" are far less than have been advertised they begin to lose respect for those who wish to cut them off from their source of stress relief with sermons about hellfire. <BR/><BR/>This erosion of respect for clerics will not happen overnight since humans are good at holding contradictory views but over time it will happen. Seeing the cautionary examples of Saudi Arabia and Iran will be good medicine as travel and cultural connectivity begin to dispel illusions for nations like North Africa and Central Asia. The same tools which AQ and like groups use to organize like modern communications and international travel are far more dangerous to traditionalism than they are to AQ's targets.Snake Oil Baronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14365352742028282744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post-28782144860732625202008-02-08T17:08:00.000+00:002008-02-08T17:08:00.000+00:00Democracy, whiskey, sexy. For that society those a...Democracy, whiskey, sexy. <BR/><BR/>For that society those are the most subversive elements. <BR/><BR/>Of the three, sexy is the easiest to deploy. <BR/><BR/>Of course that can't be all we bring. We need to bring that other part: work hard.<BR/><BR/>The dreams of a culture matter. In Islam they dream of virgins in heaven. In America we have college campuses. <BR/><BR/>Which dream is the more attractive?<BR/><BR/>In any case the liquefaction has started. Self government will be required to shore it all up.<BR/><BR/>Whiskey is also important. Because it is forbidden.M. Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09508934110558197375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post-4541000260782328042008-02-08T16:14:00.000+00:002008-02-08T16:14:00.000+00:00I suspect that pornography will have some corrosiv...I suspect that pornography will have some corrosive effects on the extremely socially conservative out look of some segments of the population. But I suspect that increasing literacy will have a far more profound effect on Islamic culture.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.metimes.com/Editorial/2008/01/25/editorial_mideast_fertility_rates_plunge/6336/" REL="nofollow">It may have already resulted in dramatic drops in fertility</A> and the effort to translate the Western Cannon into Arabic could have cultural effects as well as the demographic changes brought by improved female literacy. <BR/><BR/>Smut will get made on its own. Educational materials need effort and investment. And before anyone mentions it, I know that many terrorists are educated but the fact is that they come from cultures which are not. People (both students and teachers) pick up the views of their parents and friends and neighbors. A critical mass of literate people need to be exposed to many ideas for at least a generation or more before they change the attitudes of a culture.Snake Oil Baronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14365352742028282744noreply@blogger.com