Three points of view

A person, actually a couple people informed me that there were several points of view on issues. I suggested that there were two. I think we are both wrong, yet, perhaps we are right. Perhaps we were talking past each other, and perhaps we are both right and both not so correct.

We grow up today and are told, actually indoctrinated with the belief that no culture is better than any other. We are all the same. We are all equal. No one is better. No belief is better. No behavior is better. It makes sense for us to then translate this into a world view - there is no truth but the one we determine based on our opinion.

That position is simply not rational. Humans are told we cannot fly. We are told only birds and planes can fly. I believe I am a bird - I like seeds, I flap my arms, I like to nest, I am fixated on eggs. I believe I am a bird. I do not believe humans are not able to fly because I am a human-bird. I feel like a bird, I eat like a bird, I have created a nest in my home made of sticks, twigs, yarn, mud, and I sleep in the nest. Am I a bird? Can I fly?

The answer is not subjective nor is it a matter of opinion. It is either yes or no, very clearly so. It is not ambivalent nor can you have your own view of my being a bird. I am or I am not. I am not sort of.

The reason this dishonesty has caught on is because of the examples used to lure young people into accepting it - not everyone can wear the same shoes, even if they are the correct size. Not everyone likes the same type of food and when we do like the same food, we like it produced differently (hot dogs: mustard, ketchup, relish).

This is a failure by those in authority to understand the difference between taste and reality. As for matters of taste: I like blue, I like feathers, I like mud, I like relish on hot dogs - there is no correct/right answer. It is all a matter of taste. as far as issues of reality are concerned - I am not a bird and as much as I believe I am a bird, I will never fly unless I am in a plane. regardless of your opinion or your third view point - I cannot be a bird and I cannot fly.

One person informed the class they did not believe the government. They raised the question of - did the US give Saddam chemical / biological weapons. I explained that they did not. Instead, we provided a sample of a serum for antidote. The serum used contained dead viruses and therefore would not be useful in reproduction or reverse engineering to find out the weapon use. However, using technology provided by Germany, it is possible he was able to develop the blueprint, but would have needed to receive a live sample. Where this live sample came from is questionable - Russia is the best possible source given the close military alliance Saddam had with them.

The student said she didn't believe the government. How do we know they didn't. The student went on to suggest that Americans know less about our government than do other peoples elsewhere.

I was taken aback a bit by that. Another student added their thought - that maybe there is another view, not either or, just different.

The result of the indoctrination of American youth with silliness.

I am a bird or not. There IS NO 3rd position. The US did or did not give chemical weapons to Saddam. There is NO 3rd position.

I was informed that one student never believed anything the US government said. They would believe what the Chinese government says about something before our own.

The result of the indoctrination of American youth with silliness.

50% of ALL NEWS in Russia MUST be positive. All NEWS in RUSSIA must go through the Kremlin and be vetted for positive or negative before it is released. Additionally, all news is vetted by the Kremlin before it can be published.

The Chinese government prohibits access to most western news sources and prohibits ALL ACCESS to anything the government of China does not approve. The US is portrayed as the enemy. All Internet and news follow this standard.

Syria, Lebanon, Iran, N Korea all follow suit. The Internet and news is controlled by the government. You cannot go online and surf Google news for information. In Cuba and Venezuela, the government controls much of the media. The major newspapers print what they are told. There is no criticism of the government. The people are told the enemy of the people is the US.

In Britain, there is censorship. The government prohibits the printing of news about Royals who are either in trouble or in war. THAT is censorship. Whether it is reasonable or prudent, is immaterial to the fact it is censorship.

In Germany and France you cannot deny the holocaust or you will be arrested and imprisoned. That is not FREE SPEECH, that is censorship.

Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines - strict government control over the media - what is reported about their governments and ours.

Superstition and fear are common throughout Asia and Africa to the point supersition grabs hold and doesn't let go - no reality, just fantasy and delusions. I could point out the nuts who marry their goats or the slave trade in Morocco or Portugal. The list is endless and would stop only when i ran out of countries.

I could go on but I hope I have made the point. The world is actually quite ignorant of the US government. Americans are naive about the world. There is a distinction. We believe they are decent and respectful. We are wrong but we can access any information without restriction, on the Internet. They are misinformed and lied to and don't know the difference, but they believe it. They are ignorant.