When I first met Mormons and talked to them one thing really amazed me - total inability to think critically about life and deeds of Joseph Smith. Unlike many great prophets Smith didn’t live a thousand years ago and there’re tons of tangible evidence that he was a liar, a con artist and an impostor. Still so many well educated and otherwise smart people who somehow manage to block all their mental activity when it comes to discuss – how comes Smith’s translation of the Egyptian Book of Dead is complete gibberish.
We are talking about pure belief – something that is so deeply ingrained in consciousness that critical approach is almost impossible. Destruction of basic mental axioms can lead to destruction of personality. There cannot be any rational verification for religious beliefs as well as for many cultural beliefs that are close to religious.
What I find fascinating about American mentality – their notions of democracy and freedom are also ingrained. This is the case even with the most educated, sophisticated and intellectual. This is not the case with Europeans. While Brits or Frenchmen also believe in freedom and democracy they are not religious about it and don’t regard it with enthusiastic devotion. With my English friend I can freely discuss problems of democracy and our disputes are not just normal but they also help to discover something new, change to some extent our views or find compromise. With Americans it’s almost always a missionary talking to a heathen. To treat democracy as just another technical model of effective government organization and freedom as a personal feeling of limitations for self-realization is the same as trampling down on the bible. What’s the use of discussing the origins of the Book of Mormon with a faithful Mormon?
This could be just a curious cultural phenomenon if Americans were not so proactive. When your notion of freedom and democracy is so religious and you sincerely believe that your country is democratic and free then you view the world out there also religiously. You divide the world into the Forces of Good (you and your friends) and the Forces of Evil (your enemies). In-between live ignorant and uneducated heathens. You send missionaries to their jungles, educate them, give them holy books, fight with missionaries of wrong churches and get frustrated with the total stupidity of barbarians. They dare to be critical! Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormons from Egyptian. Right? He never studied Egyptian before. Right? Then how comes you don’t see that Jesus gave him the gift of understanding the language!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Friday, September 15, 2006
Kim Diagnosed At Last
Thanks to my friend who happens to be a professional psychiatrist we finally managed to diagnose Kim Zigfeld - Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). If you were among those unlucky who happened to argue with La Russophobikha click here . "NPD traits discussed" is hilarious! And it is written by a person who was married to a narcissist.
The most telling thing that narcissists do is contradict themselves. They will do this virtually in the same sentence, without even stopping to take a breath. It can be trivial (e.g., about what they want for lunch) or it can be serious (e.g., about whether or not they love you). When you ask them which one they mean, they'll deny ever saying the first one, though it may literally have been only seconds since they said it -- really, how could you think they'd ever have said that? You need to have your head examined! They will contradict FACTS. They will lie to you about things that you did together. They will misquote you to yourself. If you disagree with them, they'll say you're lying, making stuff up, or are crazy. [At this point, if you're like me, you sort of panic and want to talk to anyone who will listen about what is going on: this is a healthy reaction; it's a reality check ("who's the crazy one here?"); that you're confused by the narcissist's contrariness, that you turn to another person to help you keep your bearings, that you know something is seriously wrong and worry that it might be you are all signs that you are not a narcissist].
Read more...
The most telling thing that narcissists do is contradict themselves. They will do this virtually in the same sentence, without even stopping to take a breath. It can be trivial (e.g., about what they want for lunch) or it can be serious (e.g., about whether or not they love you). When you ask them which one they mean, they'll deny ever saying the first one, though it may literally have been only seconds since they said it -- really, how could you think they'd ever have said that? You need to have your head examined! They will contradict FACTS. They will lie to you about things that you did together. They will misquote you to yourself. If you disagree with them, they'll say you're lying, making stuff up, or are crazy. [At this point, if you're like me, you sort of panic and want to talk to anyone who will listen about what is going on: this is a healthy reaction; it's a reality check ("who's the crazy one here?"); that you're confused by the narcissist's contrariness, that you turn to another person to help you keep your bearings, that you know something is seriously wrong and worry that it might be you are all signs that you are not a narcissist].
Read more...
Friday, September 08, 2006
Kondopoga
Here’s a very good example how liberastian media is covering the “racist” conflict in Kondopoga. Clair Bigg from Radio Free Europe\Radio Liberty reports;
The incident was the latest in a string of attacks against ethnic Chechens and other ethnic minorities in Kondopoga that has prompted dozens of Chechen families to flee the city.
The violence was sparked by restaurant brawl between ethnic Russians and Chechens last week that left two of the Russians dead. The restaurant, "Chaika," was owned by a Chechen man.
That’s all. There’s was a brawl that left two of the Russians dead. Nothing is said about the cause of their death. Could they have a heart attack? Quite possible. Here’s the actual chain of events. Two Russians at the restaurant “Chaika” had a brawl with the waiter who supposedly brought them cheap vodka in a bottle from expensive one. Russians refused to pay for it. The barman called the local Chechen “rescue team”. It arrived an hour later when Russians who actually started the brawl already left. About 15 Chechens armed with knives, sharpened steel bars and baseball bats rushed into the restaurant, cried, “Allahu Akbar!” and started thrashing indiscriminately everyone who was unlucky to be at the restaurant by that time. People were defending themselves with chairs and tables. In less than 5 minutes the Chechen “rescue team” killed two men and mutilated 15, eight of them were beaten within an inch of their life. Having done that Chechens left the restaurant. During the “brawl” two local police cars were staying right at the restaurant and later a third one came. Policemen didn’t interfere. Later it became known that they actually were on the rescue team’s payroll and in fact were giving protection to the bandits.
Angry mobs burned down the restaurant where the Russians were killed and destroyed a street market and several stores owned by Chechens and other people from the Caucasus.
One gets an impression that immediately after the “brawl” angry mobs started mad rampaging. In a small town like Kondopoga where people now each other the news about the “brawl” spread very quickly. People gathered after the funeral (the deceased faces were mutilated beyond recognition) on a square at the City Council bringing the following demands: (1) Bring to justice corrupt police officers, (2) Bring to justice the Chechen “rescue team” that has been terrorizing the town residents for several years already. (3) Bring to justice the owner of the restaurant (and several other businesses) that uses the Chechen “rescue team” as his personal army. Please take a note – in the first place the angered was directed at the local police that was supposed to protect residents. When the very same policemen who a day before did nothing to stop Chechens started to “disperse the unsanctioned meeting” they were attacked and on the spur of the moment about 20-30 teenagers tried to put the Chechen restaurant on fire (they did put it on fire a day later) and broke windows of the several stores. The mayor realized that things are getting out of control called Petrozavodsk riot police.
The violence has been accompanied by street rallies in Kondopoga demanding the expulsion of immigrants.
Several nationalist parties have expressed support for the riots. Some reports claim these parties actually orchestrated them.
On the next day residents of Kondopoga gathered again. This time there were about 2000 of them (6% of the total population that would equivalent to 500 000 in Moscow). Representatives of the nationalist parties together with journalists flocked to the town like carrion-crows. In the true liberastian manner journalists started interviewing nationalists from Moscow and St.Petersburg forgetting the residents of Kondopoga altogether. And – yes – nationalists claimed that they orchestrated the riots, that residents are demanding expulsion of all immigrants – all the usual PR blah blah.
"People gathered spontaneously to express their demands," Belov said. "Their demands were simple: [foreigners] get out of here, you have 24 hours. Why? You've come here without invitation and we're fed up with you. These are the two reasons behind the problems in Kondopoga and elsewhere."
Belov said representatives of his movement, know for its aggressive xenophobic rhetoric, had plans to station representatives permanently in Karelia to "help," in his words, local residents.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the prime minister of the pro-Moscow government in Chechnya, has blamed Karelian officials for failing to stop the riots and has vowed to restore order if necessary.
Yes, indeed. Kadyrov’s guys know how to restore order. No wonder the Kondopoga’s Chechens are Kadyrov's strong supporters.
The incident was the latest in a string of attacks against ethnic Chechens and other ethnic minorities in Kondopoga that has prompted dozens of Chechen families to flee the city.
The violence was sparked by restaurant brawl between ethnic Russians and Chechens last week that left two of the Russians dead. The restaurant, "Chaika," was owned by a Chechen man.
That’s all. There’s was a brawl that left two of the Russians dead. Nothing is said about the cause of their death. Could they have a heart attack? Quite possible. Here’s the actual chain of events. Two Russians at the restaurant “Chaika” had a brawl with the waiter who supposedly brought them cheap vodka in a bottle from expensive one. Russians refused to pay for it. The barman called the local Chechen “rescue team”. It arrived an hour later when Russians who actually started the brawl already left. About 15 Chechens armed with knives, sharpened steel bars and baseball bats rushed into the restaurant, cried, “Allahu Akbar!” and started thrashing indiscriminately everyone who was unlucky to be at the restaurant by that time. People were defending themselves with chairs and tables. In less than 5 minutes the Chechen “rescue team” killed two men and mutilated 15, eight of them were beaten within an inch of their life. Having done that Chechens left the restaurant. During the “brawl” two local police cars were staying right at the restaurant and later a third one came. Policemen didn’t interfere. Later it became known that they actually were on the rescue team’s payroll and in fact were giving protection to the bandits.
Angry mobs burned down the restaurant where the Russians were killed and destroyed a street market and several stores owned by Chechens and other people from the Caucasus.
One gets an impression that immediately after the “brawl” angry mobs started mad rampaging. In a small town like Kondopoga where people now each other the news about the “brawl” spread very quickly. People gathered after the funeral (the deceased faces were mutilated beyond recognition) on a square at the City Council bringing the following demands: (1) Bring to justice corrupt police officers, (2) Bring to justice the Chechen “rescue team” that has been terrorizing the town residents for several years already. (3) Bring to justice the owner of the restaurant (and several other businesses) that uses the Chechen “rescue team” as his personal army. Please take a note – in the first place the angered was directed at the local police that was supposed to protect residents. When the very same policemen who a day before did nothing to stop Chechens started to “disperse the unsanctioned meeting” they were attacked and on the spur of the moment about 20-30 teenagers tried to put the Chechen restaurant on fire (they did put it on fire a day later) and broke windows of the several stores. The mayor realized that things are getting out of control called Petrozavodsk riot police.
The violence has been accompanied by street rallies in Kondopoga demanding the expulsion of immigrants.
Several nationalist parties have expressed support for the riots. Some reports claim these parties actually orchestrated them.
On the next day residents of Kondopoga gathered again. This time there were about 2000 of them (6% of the total population that would equivalent to 500 000 in Moscow). Representatives of the nationalist parties together with journalists flocked to the town like carrion-crows. In the true liberastian manner journalists started interviewing nationalists from Moscow and St.Petersburg forgetting the residents of Kondopoga altogether. And – yes – nationalists claimed that they orchestrated the riots, that residents are demanding expulsion of all immigrants – all the usual PR blah blah.
"People gathered spontaneously to express their demands," Belov said. "Their demands were simple: [foreigners] get out of here, you have 24 hours. Why? You've come here without invitation and we're fed up with you. These are the two reasons behind the problems in Kondopoga and elsewhere."
Belov said representatives of his movement, know for its aggressive xenophobic rhetoric, had plans to station representatives permanently in Karelia to "help," in his words, local residents.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the prime minister of the pro-Moscow government in Chechnya, has blamed Karelian officials for failing to stop the riots and has vowed to restore order if necessary.
Yes, indeed. Kadyrov’s guys know how to restore order. No wonder the Kondopoga’s Chechens are Kadyrov's strong supporters.
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