Posted by andreas from p3EE3C368.dip.t-dialin.net (62.227.195.104) on Wednesday, September 11, 2002 at 1:19PM :
In Reply to: oops posted by Lilly from ? (160.129.202.69) on Wednesday, September 11, 2002 at 10:41AM :
Hi Lilly,
: : Very nice to see so much critical awareness in an Assyrian lady.
: xxx I'm only a half-breed. Please forgive me. :)
For which half?
Now seriously: Mixed families and their offsprings could really inject a lot of new vision and vigor into the otherwise stale and stalemated ethnic biotopes of all the insular ethnic-cultural communities ... if only all influences are respected, cared for and given their appropriate scope for further development.
To mention only the obvious:
A lot of hype has been made of the need to bar Assyrians young ladies and men from marrying aliens from outside in order to save the Assyrian language and to guarantee its survival.
In an alternative model one could argue for mixed marriages just for their merits of winning new speakers to the Assyrian language.
Non-negotiable precondition, hwoever, for this would be an active and energetic commitment to implememt well-devised teaching schemes and bi-lingual child raising concepts.
Any defense of static ethnic boundaries strikes me absurd and dangerous for the cultural petrification it means.
What's really lacking is a couragous sense for innovative activity.
: : Such questioning is indeed the first step to get a more-dimensional picture of reality, towards a process of freeing one's mind and to protect oneself against the brainwash,mental deterioration and abuse as well as against the dreadful consequences inflicted by e.g. the war mongering crowd upon us.
: xxx I agree.
What a pity, now I haven't anything to face up to ;)
: : So why are such topics and questions and generally the art of questioning so tabooed among Assyrians?
: xxx I don't know. Maybe natural selection had something to do with it...
Highly doubtful in my opinion. Rather historic and socio-cultural developments or the lack of them.
Anyway, these conditions are not irreversible - in contrast to any genetic disposition.
A lot would be won if young people like you with your critical interest in politics and articulate demands for unfettered access to comprehensive information went to the Assyrian establishment and if you start a discussion there on those taboo issues.
I am pretty sure most Assyrians don't even realize the wealth of alternative news and courageous investigate reportings waiting out there for being mined and how much they are subjected to the manipulations by the servile mainstream/mudstream press (--> N. Chomsky: "Manifactured Consent" and many other works).
andreas
-- andreas
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