Nov 24
So the Huskies lost. Again.
Nov 19
You were raped? That’s 90 lashes!
Contrary to popular belief, the covering of the Muslim woman is not oppression but a liberation from the shackles of male scrutiny and the standards of attractiveness. In Islam, a woman is free to be who she is inside, and immuned from being portrayed as sex symbol and lusted after. Islam exalts the status of a woman by commanding that she “enjoys equal rights to those of man in everything, she stands on an equal footing with man ” (Nadvi, 11) and both share mutual rights and obligations in all aspects of life.
- Liberation by the Veil
It’s true! Did you know that rape only happens here in the heathen western states? How often do you hear about rape in the Middle East?
There’s a reason for that.
Apparently, there’s an addendum in the Shari’a stating that if you are raped, you’d best keep your mouth shut, bitch. The addendum in question:
And she that is raped, may she be silent always, so as not to bring shame to her rapists, for Allah knows that deep, deep down in the heart (sic) of a woman, she knows that she really wants it anyway. I mean, c’mon, we all know when they’re not submitting to Allah, they love submitting to their master. Besides, showing both eyes like they do, you know they’re asking for it. Therefore, Allah commands that all women, should they be raped, shall STFU before him.
- Wasalta I-dharwa*
According to a recent article on CNN.com, a victim of gang rape in the Kingdom has been now sentenced to 200 lashes and a six month prison sentence. Her crime? Speaking out about the rape. Now, this might be understandable if the Kingdom and its judges are mortally afraid of bad press - speaking out could be seen as trying to garner negative attention to the country in the international media.
Oh wait, she was already sentenced to the tune of 90 lashes simply for being raped under Islamic law.
Of course, this is shocking and disgusting to us enlightened westerners. “Look at those backwards sand-niggers, with their silly and oppressive laws! I’m so glad I’m a good God-fearing Christian/Jew.”
What we don’t realize is that if Christians and Jews actually followed the law as defined by the bible, they would do the exact same thing… worse, in fact. Yes, those crazy Muslims actually are more lenient than Christians and Jews ought to be:
If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
-Deuteronomy 22:23-24
Whereas a Muslim woman might only be lashed, a Christian or Jewish woman must be stoned, and I don’t mean that in the fun way. The same rule of law applies to an animal that has been raped, as well. Of course, this doesn’t happen in our modern society, but according to the “holy” babble, it should! The only reason there aren’t routine stonings of rape victims at the county fair grounds is that Christians and Jews don’t adhere to their own scripture. Instead, upon reading said verses, mumble to themselves that they’re silly, archaic, and in the Old Testament. Good point.
How can Christians get away with writing off Old Testament law while simultaneously holding aloft the entirety of the Bible as the ultimate guide for morality? This is not nearly the only case of reprehensible verses in the so-called “good news.” Many argue that the laws of the Old Testament were somehow fulfilled when Christ came to the earth. Why then, pray tell, do we still preach from and teach our children about it? If Christians had any decency, they’d confine anything from Genesis to Micah to the history books, where they belong. They don’t, and here’s why:
Why Christians refuse to condemn the Old Testament:
- It contains Genesis. Whereas the rest of the Old Testament might be rife with scientific errancy (God has the strength of a unicorn, in case you were ever wondering), Genesis isn’t. God actually did create the world in 6 days (amazing, considering he hadn’t created the sun until day 3, which is necessary to define a “day”), making evolution an obvious fabrication.
- They know that the New Testament is just as silly, so they would have to condemn it as well.
- They would have to admit that their morality comes from somewhere other than a holy book.
- No harm, no foul - nobody actually reads their Bibles anyway, except for the verses their preachers hand-pick
- What else would they teach in Sunday School? All those warm fuzzy stories about Christ get boring after awhile. Kids want to hear about Joshua and his armies and their “scorched earth” campaign through Canaan, or how Abraham nobly nearly slaughtered his son.
- There’s money to be made.
Nov 18
Did he just say what I think he said?
Watson, a most respected scientist and one of the originators of the DNA double helix theory, has come under significant fire in the news recently for condemning those of African descent as less intelligent.
Editorials and blogs ignited over his statement, asking a particular sort of question:
How could he do such a thing, as a role model and public figure? What kind of person would say something like that? Is he a racist? A bigot?
I have a different, and better, question:
Is he right?
Note: before I begin, I have been informed that some who read the following post grossly misinterpret the ultimate conclusion, and therefore my true opinion, of this question. Just so there is no confusion:
There is no conclusive evidence of any race having a greater capability of intelligence over any other. Therefore, it is my belief that no race is more intelligent than any other. We do see a disparity in the current US, but this is more likely due to socioeconomic conditions.
That being said, here is my study of the current statistics:
There is a distinct correlation, in this modern world of ours, between race and intellect. From all studies I have seen, the fairly conclusive conclusion rates the intelligence of the races as follows:
Origin (from highest to lowest)
- Far Eastern and Ashkenazi Jew
- Caucasian
- Arabian and Native American (including Hispanic)
- African and Australian Aboriginal
Source
We can see this in our stereotypes: the AZN with four eyes and a calculator wherever he goes, average white guy, Mexican laborer, Black criminal. It’s hard to not concede that stereotypes do have a ring of truth to them.
Interestingly enough, intelligence is also negatively correlated with likelyhood to be incarcerated or commit a crime. Consider the following statistics:
States with the highest prison population (per capita):
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States according to average intelligence:
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States according to Black population:
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States according to religiosity (% marked “non-religious”):
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States according to percent of women with a birth in the last year who are unmarried:
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States according to persons below poverty level:
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Seems to be a pattern here. I arranged each of the statistics to be in the same order as the top 5 states according to prison population per capita, and it is quite easy to see the correlation between race, intelligence, religiosity, income, and single mothers. While none of these correlations are nearly conclusive (to do so is not remotely within the scope of this post), it surely is interesting. Texas (carrying Oklahoma along, I am sure) is known here in the states for its unique judicial system and statistics. I consider both to be anomalies. If we look at the other states, we see three of the dumbest, most religious, poorest, and blackest states in the union.
It certainly would be easy to assign causality to any one pair of these statistics: they’re dumb because they’re black, they’re criminals because they’re poor, they’re unwed because they’re religious, and so on. This, however, would be fallacious - correlation is not the same as causality, and the statistics can be interpreted in a number of different ways.
What can be gleaned from these statistics, however, is that if you are black, you are more likely to be from a “deep south” state, less intelligent, have a criminal record, be religious, poor, and be, know, or have children out of wedlock.
Why? It doesn’t seem that anyone has a conclusive answer. Here’s my take:
African-Americans have been integrated (for the most part) into the rest of American society for a whopping 40 years or so. Prior to that, they were subject to segregation, and prior to that, slavery.
I agree with Mr. Watson in that I think that the root of these problems is intelligence. By my definition, an intelligent mind is one with the capability to think critically and analyze. Thinking critically tends to lead to the loss of religious adherence. Intelligence lends the foresight to avoid crime, use birth control, and to prepare for and execute the steps needed to avoid poverty and live comfortably.
Michael Vick makes for an interesting case study. Straight out of the projects, his amazing talent on the football field was recognized and rewarded… to the tune of millions of dollars. Given similar amounts of wealth, many would choose to invest to preserve it, and donate to charity to share it. Mr. Vick, however, spent his millions defending himself from the law for indulging in the barbaric, carnal, and base sport of dogfighting. His case is hardly an exception. It is old news when a sports star, musician, actor, or other celebrity finds their means stripped by scandal, crime, and other remarkably un-wise choices - landing him straight back into the projects from which he came. Without the intelligence to analyze, think critically, and make good choices, wealth is irrelevant.
The breakdown:
It seems quite clear that blacks in current America are more likely to be less intelligent. This does not, however, imply that they are without the ability to be.
I do not know, and I do not think that it is possible to conclusively know at our current level of scientific understanding, if there is a genetic glass ceiling of intelligence that differs in height based on race.
The statistics show a significant correlation between intelligence and poverty rate. I believe this to be the critical correlation.
I think there is a tendency for humans to raise their children in a similar fashion that they were raised. The rich have dynasties, the middle class constantly struggle over generations, and the poor remain poor. This may be true of intelligence as well, but must be true of the value thereof. I would contend that the poor do not value or pursue intellect as much as others, and therefore, will likely remain poor.
I’d be curious to see the statistics of black children adopted by middle-class or wealthy families (of any race) regarding crime, religiosity, etc. I’d be willing to bet that they would be in stark contrast to the statistics above.
Notes:
* I don’t capitalize “black” as it would misrepresent my view of the race. I don’t see a black person as a Black person, but as a black Person.
* I generally use masculine pronouns when referring to hypothetical or otherwise non-specific situations. I’m no misogynist, not by a long shot, but perhaps if we can piss Feminists off enough, they’ll lobby to create a gender neutral pronoun for the English language. We could really use one. In fact, in my freshman English class, we used “narf.”
* I slipped religiosity into this personal study for the fun of it. It’s a subject of great interest to me, and the statistics are indeed intriguing…
Nov 18
The ubiquitous first entry.
Hello.
I like to think that people read this blog. It’s a fun little thought, but not necessary for the continuation thereof. I write here because I must.
I hate writing, (insert cliche here). I love, however, forcing my opinions upon everyone that will hear them - by choice or not.
My paradigm is a dynamic one, and one that I must constantly test and reconsider. There are many who float through life, without a set way of doing things, according to whichever wind happens to be blowing at the time. I would imagine they are quite happy: they are never ‘wrong’ because they never take a stance, have loads of friends because no one is able to disagree with them, and have everything in common with the boy, girl, dog, fly, microwave, and dust mite next door. If only…
My method of testing generally is argument. I submit a topic of conversation in a subtly inflammatory way, attempting to arouse debate in another individual with different experiences, thoughts, opinions, and views than mine. I continually poke and prod until I find a particular topic that person is passionate about, find flaws in it, and challenge them to do so of my own position. Often, I’ll have a particular subject in mind, and will press continually until they find that they are, to their surprise, passionate about it.
Only recently have I realized that this exercise in self-discovery was abnormal and alienating, yet I continue notwithstanding.
This self understanding has taken years for me to understand, after constant scrutiny. It is the manifestation of nearly two decades of constant observation. You, dear reader, now know me better than any ex-girlfriend ever has.
γνωθι σεαυτόν… two words in a language you likely cannot distinguish from scribbles or an advanced math problem, but when you paste them into a google search bar later, you’ll probably stumble across a wikipedia article with a handful of fascinating “See Also” links. I would highly recommend you curl up with a laptop and enlighten yourself for 15 minutes or so, and discover why your life is “so messed up.”
…
see?