This is way OT, but interesting perhaps for some posters here. I commented below on a post in rec.aviation.military, but since cross-posting is evil, I decided to start a new thread. We take so much for granted, not knowing how fortunate we are to be able to speak and understand English at a fairly high level, and to be able to interact with a large number of other cultures who share that same ability. It isn't a privilege that the majorty of the world's inhabitants enjoys. Whenever the murky arguments crop up, such as, "why should the Western powers have the say as to who gets nuclear weapons", or "why should the US be allowed to act unilaterally", and so on, arguments that implicity assume some kind of equal basis for decision-making on the part of the aggrieved parties, I think of this privilege we enjoy. Of course we fight, we argue, we are often in the wrong owing to our greed and of coure ignorance, but I believe that there is an argument to be made that Western countries can make a better decision for the good of many countries than other countries in the world. This is critical when it comes to decisions that do affect the rest of the world. Notably, countries like Japan (whaling and other means of exploitation of natural resources, come to mind), and developing nations (industrial pollution, development of weapons of mass destruction). Probably a most interesting thought experiment to guide policy is to determine when a country is ready to become a member of the internation community, rather than obtaining power through joining an international forum, and can be negotiated with on a really equal basis, rather than that country still being able to think only nationally.
Newsgroups: rec.aviation.military Subject: Re: Is war the ultimate adventure of a lifetime? From: Gernot Hassenpflug Organization: RISH, Kyoto University Sender: snipped-for-privacy@fukaolx15.rish.kuins.net
--text follows this line-- "Paul J. Adam" writes:
I think the English-speaking (or at least -understanding) world is extremely fortunate in that it is possible to easily "check out" the advantage and disadvantages of various systems without the filtering by local "scholars". Think of how Japan's similar system of monarchy ended up perpetrating a war with no recourse by the ordinary people to think differently from what they were taught to. Same thing today, although less visible given that the language barrier is so enormous. The more I learn about the "modern" Japanese education system, the more I am shocked (and vice versa, the teachers I convese with are amazed at learning how the British system I grew up in works, and this is considering a very basic, middle and high school level). To be able to go out and learn about many other countries' ways of doing things, something most Westerners take for granted, is something we should be particularly proud of and grateful for.
Agreed, in priciple. However, easier said than done, and even then vastly easier in a Western country than elsewhere, for reasons given above.