Comments on: Too slow? Too fast? The speed of change affects recognition http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/yulelog/2004/03/22/too-slow-too-fast-the-speed-of-change-affects-recognition/ I am a mongrel - O ma! A gremlin... Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:34:17 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Joel http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/yulelog/2004/03/22/too-slow-too-fast-the-speed-of-change-affects-recognition/comment-page-1/#comment-1212 Joel Wed, 24 Mar 2004 07:23:30 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/yulelog/2004/03/22/too-slow-too-fast-the-speed-of-change#comment-1212 <a></a> Darn you, Yule! You incited me again!: http://www.notfrisco2.com/webzine/Joel/archives/004492.html

Darn you, Yule! You incited me again!:

http://www.notfrisco2.com/webzine/Joel/archives/004492.html

]]> By: Joel http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/yulelog/2004/03/22/too-slow-too-fast-the-speed-of-change-affects-recognition/comment-page-1/#comment-1211 Joel Wed, 24 Mar 2004 06:04:43 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/yulelog/2004/03/22/too-slow-too-fast-the-speed-of-change#comment-1211 <a></a> To expound a little more: the other day, on another more political and supposedly spiritual blog, someone attempted to write off an account of sexual harassment at Camp X-Ray by saying "Well, he's got a grudge so we should be suspicious." I responded by observing that people often have grudges for good reason. Do we discount evidence against the Holocaust because the people in question are angry about what the guards did to them and to other people, I asked? That analogy naturally provoked outrage because the person whose views I questioned was a liberal, but right wingers get just as irate. My point is that we've allowed these stupid values to color our preliminary judgements too much. We should call for investigation and avoid making prejudicial statements against the alleged victim until they are proven to be a liar. When a government throws up an apparatus to block investigation by independent outside parties, that's reason to be very suspicious. What you describe, my friend, is what I see happening in the Good Old USA now and even liberals are showing entirely too much caution when judging the claims of outsiders and critics of the administration. Why is this happening? They are afraid of losing face if the guy is proven to be a liar. (People don't get that the purpose of calling for an investigation is to prove guilt OR innocence. It's finding a truthful answer that is the triumph.) There's a type of banal evil that Arendt did not consider. We need to append her masterpiece.

To expound a little more: the other day, on another more political and supposedly spiritual blog, someone attempted to write off an account of sexual harassment at Camp X-Ray by saying “Well, he’s got a grudge so we should be suspicious.”

I responded by observing that people often have grudges for good reason. Do we discount evidence against the Holocaust because the people in question are angry about what the guards did to them and to other people, I asked?

That analogy naturally provoked outrage because the person whose views I questioned was a liberal, but right wingers get just as irate. My point is that we’ve allowed these stupid values to color our preliminary judgements too much. We should call for investigation and avoid making prejudicial statements against the alleged victim until they are proven to be a liar.

When a government throws up an apparatus to block investigation by independent outside parties, that’s reason to be very suspicious. What you describe, my friend, is what I see happening in the Good Old USA now and even liberals are showing entirely too much caution when judging the claims of outsiders and critics of the administration.

Why is this happening? They are afraid of losing face if the guy is proven to be a liar. (People don’t get that the purpose of calling for an investigation is to prove guilt OR innocence. It’s finding a truthful answer that is the triumph.) There’s a type of banal evil that Arendt did not consider. We need to append her masterpiece.

]]> By: Joel http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/yulelog/2004/03/22/too-slow-too-fast-the-speed-of-change-affects-recognition/comment-page-1/#comment-1210 Joel Wed, 24 Mar 2004 05:55:20 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/yulelog/2004/03/22/too-slow-too-fast-the-speed-of-change#comment-1210 <a></a> It's too bad that we think of Nazis as being "somone else". Many people have rightly drawn parallels between the Nazis and the Patriot Act, for example, only to find themselves attacked for "too much emotionalism". It's become a sacred cow of sorts, like asking whether the Buddha and Jesus might have exhibited bipolar behavior when they abruptly abandoned their real lives to go preaching. Thou shalt not question especially when the question might lead one to discomforting answers is the unwritten Eleventh Commandment.

It’s too bad that we think of Nazis as being “somone else”. Many people have rightly drawn parallels between the Nazis and the Patriot Act, for example, only to find themselves attacked for “too much emotionalism”.

It’s become a sacred cow of sorts, like asking whether the Buddha and Jesus might have exhibited bipolar behavior when they abruptly abandoned their real lives to go preaching.

Thou shalt not question especially when the question might lead one to discomforting answers is the unwritten Eleventh Commandment.

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