The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #123640   Message #2726373
Posted By: Lonesome EJ
18-Sep-09 - 07:40 PM
Thread Name: BS: Resolving the Clash of Civilizations
Subject: RE: BS: Resolving the Clash of Civilizations
Well, I'm not sure we agree on the basic concept of what a government is, Carol. I do not believe that the existence of a government implies that its people are forced to hate or adopt any negative traits toward other people and governments.

In my opinion, a government is a form of formalized cooperation between a people who share a powerful commonality. This could be a common language, racial makeup, guiding belief, land mass, or a combination of any of those factors. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is mutual profit and protection. The fulfillment of this purpose requires a set of governing behaviors agreed upon by the majority of the participants. The governing body, dictator, parliament, or whatever the governing entity is called, is charged with enforcing compliance with these agreed upon behaviors. Governing bodies, or Governments if you will, are only "good" or "bad" in so far as they enforce and reflect the will of the preponderance of their citizenry.

A government may adopt a formalized practice of hate (Nazi Germany for example) that is a belief fostered by the government and used as a tool to accomplish its aims, but I believe that this is a perversion of the purpose of government rather than a natural and predictable outcome. Your views seem to imply that the purpose of government is to seperate and to repress people, and that governments repesent a "tribal impulse" which will eventually give way to...what?