[ExI] intolerant minds, a different flavor

[Damien Broderick]

At 11:03 PM 4/26/2009 -0700, Lee wrote:

>Our German colleagues were all in favor of those laws:
>"people should not be allowed to say these things
>that cause others so much suffering" basically, was
>the [gist].
>
>Is this not an alien mentality to everyone here?

Perhaps, but that's not the real explanation.

>Can anyone suggest an hypothesis that will explain
>what is going on in otherwise sensible and tolerant
>minds?

Yes. We understand memes, cultural contagion and infection, the 
evolved human predisposition to behave abominably when we have a 
handy articulated structure of bullshit that's being openly accepted by others.

To be very simplistic, but using a traditional analogy: do you, Lee, 
really think there should be no prohibition of, or penalty for, 
untruthfully screaming "Fire!" or "Bomb!" in a crowded theater?

If you'd make an exception for that, how about "Jews, Homos and 
Niggers deserve to die, because they are inhuman scum who are 
destroying our way of life!"?

Damien Broderick