On Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:16:18 -0700, Patrick Elliott wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:39:47 -0700, Patrick Elliott wrote:
>> 
>>> Jim Henderson wrote:
>>>> Sometimes it's not a question of supporting (directly or indirectly)
>>>> the bad part, but supporting the good part.
>>> See, I don't think that is at all relevant.
>> 
>> I could see why you think that, but I disagree.  Even bad people can do
>> good things, and given a choice between supporting a program that feeds
>> starving people that is sponsored by someone who is bad and having
>> those people starve to death, I'd rather they got fed.  But before
>> supporting a program run by "the bad guys", I'd first look for
>> alternatives that didn't have that baggage.
>> 
> All I can say to this is.. If it was the **only** group doing it, I
> might provisionally agree with you. Yet, it usually isn't, and if
> anything, its the ones with an alternate agenda that promote themselves
> so much its not always "obvious" that an alternative even exists. 

Sure, that happens.  So education is the solution - I wasn't aware of the 
example you provided, but now you've given me something to look into.

> Its like the old days with the church, in Europe. Take in the equivalent
> of millions, if not billions, build a lot of temples, but.. when
> feeding, clothing or "helping" the poor or hungry, buy the cheapest
> cloth, the poorest food, etc. Feed them what the clergy wouldn't touch,
> and the not "quite" so poor wouldn't feed their pigs.

Well, Europe grew out of it.  I suspect we will, too.  It may not happen 
in our lifetimes, but change like that sometimes takes generations to 
happen.  Changing the thinking of extremely large groups of people isn't 
a trivial task.

> We can thank "secular" systems for making it so that the modern
> equivalent to this is almost a feast by those days standards, but it
> doesn't change the actual "intent", or "thinking" of those in charge,
> one bit. Just makes it harder to call them on it.

Well, nobody said it would be easy.

Jim

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