by Bas » Sat 06 Oct 2007, 07:54:02
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Jack', 'B')as, with your environmental background, you - of all people! - should recognize that the world is in overshoot. Arguably, the U.S. is too. Despite the many laudable qualities of the Dutch people, their rich culture, and their many positive contributions to the world, I have to ask whether there is space for them or anyone else.
Still, I'd much rather welcome the fine people of Holland than a whole lot of others, for all of the foregoing reasons.
Apart from being quite green I also have a strong humanist/ethical side; this combination is not a very fortunate one, in fact it's mindwrecking on a regular basis. *sigh*$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')My true colors? Bas - when have I ever hidden my colors? Deep down, I do not like people. I should think that was obvious by now!

Among the overall group of "people", I dislike poor people even more. So if very rich Mexicans wish to come over and buy expensive houses, found businesses, and hire Americans, I wouldn't mind accomodating them...for a price. (By the way, this is precisely what is happening right now....one might think they knew something, mightn't one?)
As for economic decline...if it helps me and hurts most others, I like it. This is not "tough talk" - no toughness is involved. It's just better if it hurts others.
I trust that clarifies my position?
Still I think you care more than you'd like to admit, or maybe even than you'd like to be. I'm sorry but I cannot escape that impression. Your position though is a very rational one, and I see your "sick" kind of humor as a healthy psychological way of dealing with the hard truths we discuss here; you play with that humor on the sense of ethics of others, indicating it's well developed within yourself. But I shouldn't pretend to know you, because I hardly do.
For myself, I've grown increasingly hateful of people who really don't care (of whom there are very few IMO), the dumb, the ignorant and the insensitive. Rich or poor doesn't really matter to me on an individual basis, as both rich and poor are IMO prone to be just as dumb, insensitive and ignorant though the distribution of the different qualities may differ. And it's mostly paper wealth in this world anyway, you should judge more on skills. I do dislike the more wasteful ways of the rich...both in people as in countries as a whole, and I also dislike them for having the means to, but failing to put those excess means to good use in adressing some of the big problems we have in this world. This is a generalization though, and one that makes me hate myself for not doing "enough" eventhough I'm not rich by western standards.
Either way, it's clear to me that I'm too much stuck on the big issues in a way that isn't healthy and I probably should take you and others as an example in order to be succesful in the future. This is easier said than done though...