www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall French seek to reclaim world power status

But on the flip side, political correctness is way overrated.

Lumping all the people of a nation all together and then castigating them is a classic method used by emperors and dictatorships in the past to motivate the masses to fight. Look at "Jud Suess" of the Hitler era: Jews are evil looking, have big noses and are controlling the banks and taking your money; Stalin did the same with any and all religions; the Japanese considered other Asian civilizations sub-human and so it was OK to subjugate and kill them. The Nazis taught that the Slavs looked human, but that they and the gypsies were actually not really humanoid and were to be killed.

In our own country, blacks were legally "half a person" for tax purposes; the Japanese were put into camps during WW2; and during WW1, it was illegal to speak German in Alabama, Mississippi and one or two other states - punishable by imprisonment. The "frankfurt"(style) sausage was rechristened: 'hot dog'. Sauerkraut became 'liberty cabbage' and a lot of German-Americans (at that time 52% of the nation!) changed their names: Mueller became Miller; Schmidt became Smith, Schwarz became Black, etc.

What is vaguely amusing about this most recent flap is the fact that French Fries are not French, but rather an American invention, ascribed to none other than Benjamin Franklin. [Potatoes are NOT indigenous to Europe, but to the Americas; why in God's name would one expect that they would be French? But then again, that would require not only doing some reading, but also EEEEEKK! some actual research. "Don't bother me with facts; I've already made up my mind."] [By the by, the tomato is also indigenous to Latin America and NOT Europe. It's original arrival in England was as a decorative plant, known as 'poison earth apple'. So when folks claim the Romans were using it to make pizza at the time of Nero, feel free to kill them because they're too dumb to survive on their own.]

Let's not forget to dump: 'croutons' and call them by their real name: dried week-old bread cubes. "Toilet" /le twa-lette/ should become "pooper pan", or the British: 'crapper'. "Filet Mignon" can become 'Overpriced Nebraskite'. You get the idea.

Blessings!

PS: If you're still so ticked off that you're ready to jettison your French wines, please feel free to send them to me C.O.D. It's a sin to waste good food, regardless of politics.

i agree Teen but I hate the way some conservatives draw up this "straw man" of political correctness to make themselves look like martyrs which they most definitely are not

Yes, some forms of "PC" can be stupid but more often to call someone "politically correct' is a politically conservative attempt to stop all debate that might come from the left of center (or even the center I am all for independent political thought but this is not just the province of those coming from a right-wing perspective. Orwell , to me, was the most independent politicall thinker I can "think" of and he was a democratic socialist.



Peace,
Brian

I agree, Brian.

I liked Animal Farm but just couldn't stomach 1984, although I thought the general idea was interesting.

Logos Teen

Dr.John-

You state that potatoes are not indigenous to Europe. How is it that they have been the staple food for Ireland for centuries? THis is not a rhetorical question. I vaguely remember hearing someone say that potatoes were brought to Ireland from somewhere else. Could you please elaborate?

BTW, thank you for the well wishes in my "new addition to family" thread.

Blessings to you,

Columcille

Brother Columcille and Dr John,
A History of the Potato [indepthinfo.com]

And as for "French" fries, the Belgians claim to have invented them, though no one knows for sure. The dish was first prepared as early as the 1700s and was simply called fried potatoes. Thomas Jefferson sampled them in Paris and brought the recipe home. At a White House dinner in 1802, the menu included "potatoes served in the French manner." But that's not how they got their name.

Their commercial success began in 1864, when Joseph Malines of London put "fish and chips" on the menu at one of his restaurants. His success inspired others across Europe and the popularity of fried potatoes grew. But they weren't French fries until 1918 or so. American soldiers stationed in France gobbled up the patate fritte. They dubbed them "French fries" and liked them so much they wanted to have them at home, too. Americans still love French fries. Last year alone, more than 4.5 billion pounds of them were sold in the United States.

It is interesting that when the French alling their foreign policy in line with what the Roman Pope has been very assertively pushing, they get ridicule from a Catholic poster.

Axios

I noticed that too Axios. Makes you think. Don

Curious thread. Axios� comments about the French and the Holy Father raise a few topics worthy of discussions in separate threads. Are the French really allying their foreign policy with the stated opinion of Pope John Paul II? Or do they just happen to hold a similar view on the Saddam Hussein issue because it somehow serves their own needs? It should be noted that the recent statements of Pope John Paul II are not actually Church teaching. Catholics are obliged to hear them and pray over them. One may come to a different conclusion and yet remain a good Catholic.

If someone is interested in exploring these points can he or she start a new thread under a more appropriate title?

The question once again comes down to the issue of "just war".

Our Holy Father, himself the victim of war and the tragedies that follow from it, begs our indulgence and asks that we eschew war unless there are potential dire consequences to humanity.

Thus, the question is: do the PRESENT circumstances impel us to declare war against Iraq? If the world determines that there are PRESENT elements that put the world community in danger, then war is a viable response. If there are NOT PRESENT circumstances that present a danger to the world, then can we not find other means to divert the catastrophe of war?

Our Holy Father has lived through the horrors of the Nazi war and also of persecution by the Communists. Can any Catholic discount the personal experiences of our Holy Father in helping him in propounding a Catholic and Christian perspective?

It makes me nervous when folks extol the Holy Father and his role as Supreme Bishop, and then abjure what he says because his perspective doesn't conform to a prevailing (?) US nationlist perspective. Must be nice to be able to pick and choose.

So, I guess it's following Dubya Bush or listening to the Holy Father - the UNIVERSAL Pontiff. Your choice.

But, when this conundrum is finished, I would hope that the Bushites don't EVER return to castigate anyone else and then demand that good Catholics "listen to what the Holy Father teaches" when they themselves spit on the Holy Father when he asks us to consider other factors in this particular circumstance. I.E, use the Holy Father when his words support your perspective, but demand separation of Church and State when the Holy Father's words contradict what one's political perspective would demand.

Blessings!

Blessings!

A very good question.

I submit that the question is poorly stated as does not address the crimes that Saddam Hussein has inflicted upon his own people. It is also fair to point out the world has waited 12 years for the Hussein to complete the disarmament he promised to do in 15 days back in 1992.

No. Nor should they. His words must be listened to and prayed over.

That�s a rather silly argument, especially since the Holy Father has not spoken definitively and since there are many respected Catholics on both sides of the issue.

Uh, no. The issue can�t be reduced to if you follow the pope your good and if you agree with the president your evil.

I submit, Dr. John, that your thinking on this issue is entirely incorrect. I know people on both sides of the issue and I respect their positions. I�m not sure that yours is predicated on anything but your obvious hatred for the president.

I violated my own suggestion! Please continue this discussion in the new thread.