Re: [Marxism] Lost In Translation: Ahmadinejad And The Media

[Eli Stephens <elishastephens@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Louis wrote:



>  From the article:

> 

> "By contrast, homosexuality is a non-issue in Iran and is considered an 

> uncommon perversion (except as an occasional topic of jokes about a 

> certain town)."

> 

> Sounds like the USA in 1954.



Exactly, which is why, as I just wrote on my blog yesterday here

  http://lefti.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html#8553900596695985309

it is important to maintain perspective on the "backwards" attitudes 

of others. Some of the examples in my post:



Up until Pearl Harbor, half of the 48 states had laws making it 

illegal to employ a married woman.



It was not until 1972 that the Supreme Court declared that unmarried 

people had a right to access to birth control (and only 1965 that they 

ruled the same thing for married couples).



As I concluded:



No, neither of these examples is in the same league as stoning someone 

to death for adultery, say. But they do remind us that the "superior" 

Western culture has its own history (and present!) of reactionary 

attitudes and laws as well.



So the next time you're looking down your nose at another culture or 

even part of your own, try looking in a mirror. Or a history book.




_________________________________________________________________
Discover the new Windows Vista
http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=windows+vista&mkt=en-US&form=QBRE
________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism