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defeatism the 4th -ism

Reader comment on item: The Rushdie Rules, 25 Years Later

Submitted by myth (Germany), Nov 12, 2014 at 14:28

Let me add defeatism as the fourth -ism to finish the lineup up multiculturalism, left-fascism and islamism. Defeatism is the belief that whatever islamism does against Western civilization we cannot actually do anything. Our hands are tied, for we are dealing with a religion, we cannot fight ideology and so on.

I connect this shell-shock of Western civilization to another rather passive attitude. That attitude concerns the economy. It is the belief that the "free markets" need to be left untouched for one would only make matters worse if one intervened. It would be Adam Smith's Invisible Hand that would produce a favourable outcome all by itself.

The mechanics of this connection started in the early eighties. This is when Mrs Thatcher and others told the public they would no longer be citizens but from now on they would be consumers and entrepreneurs. The reaction of the financial markets would substitute for any judgement based on virtue.

With the degradation of the citizen, devaluation of Western society as an idea followed. Can we expect Westerners to oppose islamism out of individual economic interest? Don't we need old-fashioned citizens?

The opposite does occur. Economic interest are used as tool to shut up critics of islam. Geert Wilders is experiencing this regularly. The government tells him on occasions to behave and shut up for his criticism damages Dutch trade relations with muslim countries.

Islamists would agree with what I say. From their perspective, the West reduces people to individual materialistic machines without a soul. Rather than believing in an Invisibile Hand, they believe in a quite outspoken god. Islamists are not passive either. They believe, they are compelled to intervene in every possible way to bring about god's rule.

It seems to me, the islamists teach the West a lesson.

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Reader comments (22) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
The Islam of Arabs and Persians and Others [472 words]RobertDec 15, 2016 08:11234698
getting better [26 words]y Brandstetter MDJan 8, 2015 03:37220165
defeatism the 4th -ism [298 words]mythNov 12, 2014 14:28219287
Changing interpretations of the Koran [331 words]JAMES MATKIN QCNov 11, 2014 17:53219283
4Telling God to shut his mouth [74 words]Wallace SchwamNov 10, 2014 11:18219272
... and our countries should be safe, and safe from the brutality of Islam. [106 words]FactsRuleNov 10, 2014 00:59219261
Sadly democracy and human rights are at odds with the Islam faith even with a moderate interpretation [387 words]JAMES MATKINNov 9, 2014 20:38219255
I'm with Wilders [77 words]Thomas FNov 9, 2014 15:54219252
Two different people? [245 words]Ron ThompsonNov 9, 2014 15:15219251
2No it wil not getting better - it had 1400 years of getting better [28 words]HermanNov 9, 2014 14:51219250
One man's thought [136 words]macdaddyNov 9, 2014 14:18219249
1Wilders Is Correct on Abrogation [286 words]Mike RamirezNov 9, 2014 13:04219248
1Q2:256 [73 words]dhimmi no moreNov 19, 2014 07:06219248
Can Islam change? [119 words]Reuven Ofir, Ph.DNov 9, 2014 12:22219247
bs won't cut it [52 words]Mohammed Waza Khiddif Id'ullahNov 27, 2014 03:48219247
1ISLAM cannot get better unless... [104 words]SunshineNov 9, 2014 12:02219246
2Why being Muslim pays [208 words]josef zuaresNov 23, 2014 16:43219246
2Great 15 min talk. [2 words]EdwardNov 5, 2014 11:02219179
1Notes on your speech [831 words]Michael S.Nov 5, 2014 08:50219177
The Rushdie Rules, 25 Yrs. Later! [310 words]Luciana R.Nov 10, 2014 00:38219177
Learning to enact Change [886 words]Michael S.Nov 17, 2014 13:29219177
1For the most part, we have to kill them. [921 words]Michael S.Nov 22, 2014 19:17219177

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