Smart bloggers, writing smart

Need to print out some lunchtime reading? I’ve three goodies for you.

Start with neo-neocon’s thoughtful piece on the excesses of pacifism.

Absolute pacifism–the most extreme form–eschews war in any guise. And what would absolute pacifism have suggested as a response to the Holocaust? Many years later I came across Gandhi’s answer, in an essay he wrote in 1938 advising the Jews on the subject of what to do about Hitler. In it, he sets out the case in unequivocal terms; and clearly, he understands that the Jews face grave dangers:

...the German persecution of the Jews seems to have no parallel in history. The tyrants of old never went so mad as Hitler seems to have gone. And he is doing it with religious zeal. For he is propounding a new religion of exclusive and militant nationalism in the name of which any inhumanity becomes an act of humanity to be rewarded here and hereafter. The crime of an obviously mad but intrepid youth is being visited upon his whole race with unbelievable ferocity. If there ever could be a justifiable war in the name of and for humanity, a war against Germany, to prevent the wanton persecution of a whole race, would be completely justified.

So, Gandhi recognizes that, if ever a war would be justified, this is the war. And here is the Gandhian pacifist answer, that of the absolute pacifist–a non-negotiable and rigid faith that makes such justification impossible:

But I do not believe in any war. A discussion of the pros and cons of such a war is therefore outside my horizon or province.

So for Gandhi, whatever the question, “war is not the answer.”

And what is?

Sensible Mom is thinking about the problem of power:

We see this time and again; the powerful brought down at the height of their careers either because they felt they were immune to the law or because too many were jealous of them.

Consider President Clinton. What would possess a man to sacrifice the presidency for a quickie in the Oval Office? Arrogance? A sense of omnipotence? A view that the mores of society don’t pertain to him?

And consider Richard Nixon. What level of entitlement did he have to think that petty theft was a acceptable method to win an election?

These men were the major power brokers in the nation, and the spoils of the postition were not lost on them. For a woman to suggest sex was just part of the job to take advantage of, and for a staff member to suggest burlgary was viewed as an acceptable means to retain power.

Finally - and a little lighter, but no less insightful - Ed Driscoll takes a look at the Hollywood Slump. Interesting stuff.

And not bad for a bunch of people sitting around gassing away in their pajamas!

by TheAnchoress @ 11:57 am. Filed under Blogs and Blogging

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4 Responses to “Smart bloggers, writing smart”

Sigmund, Carl and Alfred Says:
September 29th, 2005 at 12:33 pm
Pacifism may be an option (albeit a questionable one), as it relates to politics. Clearly, Gandhi indicates that war is not just ‘permitted’ when waged against evil, but rather, it is obligatory.

Driscoll’s post is a good one. No matter how hard Hollywood tries, they cannot extinguish a certain reality- Americans know a just cause when they see one- and will take pride in backing that cause.
Darrell Says:
September 29th, 2005 at 12:55 pm
True evil requires Judas goats like Gandhi. God’s gift of life is precious. You don’t throw it away- you “surrender” it fighting with your last ounce of strength.

People looking for role models should look into all of Gandhi’s practices. You might be surprised.
Donna Says:
September 29th, 2005 at 8:33 pm
I’m glad you pointed me in neo-neocon’s direction - both the initial post and the comments about it were thoughtful and interesting. (*Sigh* So many great blogs, so little time!)

Over 20 years ago, the late, great journalist and movie critic Richard Grenier - who had, I believe, a PhD in Theology - wrote a classic piece on Gandhi, which makes many of the same points as neo-con’s post and contains much eye-opening information about Hinduism as well:

http://eserver.org/history/ghandi-nobody-knows.txt
Peter Says:
October 2nd, 2005 at 3:43 pm
Did Nixon o.k. the Watergate break-in before it happened, or did he cover it up upon finding out about it after the fact? I’m unclear on this.