I'm with them...or not?

I wasn't really sure what forum to put this in: I guess it's a general philosophy question.


When you describe yourself as affiliated with a group, (say, you're a politican, or a Muslim, or a Christian, or an American,) then how much are you fully responsible for the group's poor choices? In other words, I have a lot of trepidation calling myself a label, because of all the people that ruin that label. Say you're a liberal Christian: then you're suddenly trying to defend your views, and why you're "different" than close-minded fundamentalists. Or say you're a Muslim, and you find yourself explaining how the terrorists don't "really" get the real message. Or you're a politician actually working for good policies, but there's always some politician involved in a scandal.

 

While some of the members of any given label may, and probably will, give it a bad reputation you can make yourself stand apart with your words, behaviour, and mannerisms. I'm pretty sure over the course of a 20 minute conversation you could tell the difference between a radical Muslim terrorist and the next Malcom X.

Just like when you're speaking of Republicans you can tell, I'd hope, fairly quickly the difference between George W. Bush and really any other member of the republican party.

Also, just because you believe in some of the ideologies of a certain group doesn't mean you have to belong to that group. Take bits and pieces of knowledge from people and groups of all kinds and come up with your own truth.

 

As much as you are responsible for enacting those poor choices.

It is not an incorrect statement to say "Christians have murdered billions during the Crusades in the name of their God."

However, it IS incorrect to say, "ALL Christians have murdered billions ..."

There are many Christians who do not, and likewise there are many Muslims who are not terrorists and so on and so forth.

Of course, this doesn't mean a thing to stupid people, because stupid people make associations in their mind and say, "Oh, you're Christian? Then you must be responsible for mudering billions ..." without thinking the logic through just a little deeper.

 

i share your trepidations about the company we keep. and while hikaro's point i also aggree with in principal. in life we tend to be tared with the widest brush that can be applied to whatever we associate with.

i feel no closer nor further from one organized belief then another, on the quite likely possibility that they are all of the same well intended nontangable origen. all of which likewise subject to abuse by being named as excuses for the committing of enequities.

nor do i feel some compelling need to identify myself with anything other then the diverse uniquenessess of each and every experiencing awairness.

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