"An author is a fool who, not content with boring those he lives with, insists on boring future generations." - Charles de Montesquieu

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Conditioned Fear of a Face: A Prelude to Ethnic Enmity?

"Brain imaging studies show that both fear conditioning and implicit negative attitudes to outgroup faces correlate with activity in the amygdala even when the faces are masked from conscious recognition. Thus, negative emotional responses to members of a different race are independent of conscious mentation, which may make such responses relatively immune to rational persuasion."

Unfortunately the studies do not rule out socialisation, so ambiguity still exists in this area.

***

"No more has any estate the breadth of soul that identifies itself, even for a moment, with the soul of the nation, the geniality that inspires material might to political violence, or that revolutionary daring which flings at the adversary the defiant words: I am nothing but I must be everything. The main stem of German morals and honesty, of the classes as well as of individuals, is rather that modest egoism which asserts its limitedness and allows it to be asserted against itself. The relation of the various sections of German society is therefore not dramatic but epic. Each of them begins to be aware of itself and begins to camp beside the others with all its particular claims not as soon as it is oppressed, but as soon as the circumstances of the time, without the section’s own participation, creates a social substratum on which it can in turn exert pressure. Even the moral self-feeling of the German middle class rests only on the consciousness that it is the common representative of the philistine mediocrity of all the other classes. It is therefore not only the German kings who accede to the throne mal à propos, it is every section of civil society which goes through a defeat before it celebrates victory and develops its own limitations before it overcomes the limitations facing it, asserts its narrow-hearted essence before it has been able to assert its magnanimous essence; thus the very opportunity of a great role has passed away before it is to hand, and every class, once it begins the struggle against the class opposed to it, is involved in the struggle against the class below it."

- Karl Marx, Introduction to A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right


I understand the words, but have no idea what the sentences mean. Now I know what my lecturer was talking about when he observed:

"When I was an undergrad like you I used to spend my holidays reading Karl Marx... Marx is very difficult to read. Most people read Karl Marx in jail... no one spends their holidays reading Karl Marx."

***

I have been linked from The (Unofficial) Singapore Apple Blog. Irony, thou art dead. Heh heh.

Seattle UFO / Paranormal Group and Seattle Museum of the Mysteries: Mystery of Orbs Solved! - "Museum member Maryann Synder's claim that orbs are simply cellulose particles of a very small size or small water droplets reflecting back the flash from digital cameras appears to be confirmed by tests. The museum believes orb testing can be confirmed by photographers and other paranormal investigators and encourages independant testing."

***

Someone: if you're in an AC school, you'll be subjected to two kinds of brainwashing
the first kind instils in you a crazed loyalty to the mutant hybrid genetic mistake on the crest
the second kind makes you think there is a God
where I'm concerened, the first one took, but the second one was ignored completely

I've lost Atheist Allies (tm) that way [brainwashing].
they starts out Atheists
then they go Agnostic
and the next thing you know they're bloody Methodists.

Me: ah. I will observe a minute of silence for their souls

Someone: there's this thing we used to do to piss off the Christians
I mean they all know we're non-believers who'll burn in hell, yaddayadda
we make sure they know
and then during Chapel service we'd sing the songs especially loudly, with as much gusto as we could muster
while at the same time making it sound like something a drunk would sing.
objection through extreme participation, we called it.
nowadays we just stand and stone.

Me: why consent to go to where you're forced to participate
no one objects to this religious coercion?

Someone: no one dares
well, actually most of them are part of the religious coercion
the rest of us grin and bear it
here's the best bit-in ACSi, if you skip Chapel, you get a demerit
because apparently it's the same as skipping class.

Me: I believe religious coercion is unconstitutional
oh well
who cares

Someone: in ACJC they let the muslims and other religions go to LT2 while everyone else prepares themselves for worship
freethinkers and atheist or agnostics have to stay though
because "our souls can still be saved"
oh joy.

Me: ???
that's even worse!!!

Someone: I know!
imagine how much more I can accomplish by taking that time to do more fulfilling stuff

Me: so why not profess a religion
pastafarian

Someone: the atheists and non-believers in ACJC satisfy ourselves with discreetly mocking the christians
also. Chapel sermons are always good for GP. analysing and tearing apart the arguments.