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Ronbo617's avatar

Likely that someone else made the decision for James - he was eight years old after all.

I'm sure there's a survey somewhere that asks how much $ one would need to give up a kidney and probably it's a low $ threshold. Still, though, not quite the same thing as 1700's context.

I think the boy should have been given a monument - and a house.

Claire Khaw - Secular Koranist's avatar

We live in a matriarchy so it stands to reason that patriarchal moral values are regarded as heresy.

Mr T's avatar

Is this just saying that many right wing ideas and words are taboo?

Ed West's avatar

they are taboo but I wonder if it's just the mechanism of word association that allows the mind to basically shut them out. But I'm not a linguist or psychologist, I'm just throwing out my theory to see if it interests!

Claire Khaw - Secular Koranist's avatar

Right-wing ideas = social conservatism

Social conservatism = forbidding and punishing extramarital sex to enable male solidarity

In a matriarchy, all proposals to restore the patriarchy would be regarded as taboo.

Ronbo617's avatar

I'm curious how you convince someone to try a bit of smallpox...for science.

Ed West's avatar

He did end up getting a house out of it I suppose. I was going to jokingly suggest that these days most 20somethings would probably take that gamble

CynthiaW's avatar

"[smallpox vaccination] was met with credulous scepticism by much of the public"

Maybe you mean incredulous scepticism? (In the U.S., it would be skepticism.)

Ed West's avatar

hmm. do I? Maybe I do

CynthiaW's avatar

Good article. The vaccine metaphor works pretty well.

Claire Khaw - Secular Koranist's avatar

A functioning moral system would be the only protection you have against stupid, evil and insane ideas. However, Conservatism is kaput because Christianity is kaput. It has been failing for centuries, but Post-Christian Westerners like to think that they can limp on with liberalism. In fact, Christianity is so kaput that its replacement of liberalism is now also kaput.

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Comment deleted
Feb 12, 2022
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Claire Khaw - Secular Koranist's avatar

If men only knew to complain about sexism before feminists did.

Sexism = giving offence to members of the opposite sex