I had two questions, though: I assumed that terrorists were "misguided" or angry about American injustices toward them-- because that is so much less frightening than the idea that people might have a real ideology opposed to ours, and the willingness to act on it to defeat us.
I think that both of these can be true at the same time, and in fact think that it is likely that both are usually true at the same time, and feed off each other. I am not sure from your sentence structure if you agree or disagree that both of these can be true at the same time. Can you clarify your statement to clarify your thought, or vice versa?
The worldview "whites and/or Americans are evil oppressors" fills these needs neatly. It would let me feel that I was Good because I, as a liberal, saw that racism/imperialism is bad, and so I felt virtuous about wanting to work against them.
Can you clarify what you meant by "I, as a liberal, saw that racism/imperialism is bad, and so I felt virtuous..."?
I agree that often liberals fall prey to the trap of "thing x is bad, and so I can feel virtuous about opposing it," but I think that people of all political viewpoints and stripes fall into the same trap without it being a particularly liberal or conservative or even political trap. I also don't see what is particularly liberal about having the ability to recognize the wrongs done by racism/imperialism (or trying to work to dismantle them). I think you meant something else that I am probably not seeing, understanding, or catching here. Can you explain what you meant so I can have a clearer understanding of it?
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I assumed that terrorists were "misguided" or angry about American injustices toward them-- because that is so much less frightening than the idea that people might have a real ideology opposed to ours, and the willingness to act on it to defeat us.
I think that both of these can be true at the same time, and in fact think that it is likely that both are usually true at the same time, and feed off each other. I am not sure from your sentence structure if you agree or disagree that both of these can be true at the same time. Can you clarify your statement to clarify your thought, or vice versa?
The worldview "whites and/or Americans are evil oppressors" fills these needs neatly. It would let me feel that I was Good because I, as a liberal, saw that racism/imperialism is bad, and so I felt virtuous about wanting to work against them.
Can you clarify what you meant by "I, as a liberal, saw that racism/imperialism is bad, and so I felt virtuous..."?
I agree that often liberals fall prey to the trap of "thing x is bad, and so I can feel virtuous about opposing it," but I think that people of all political viewpoints and stripes fall into the same trap without it being a particularly liberal or conservative or even political trap. I also don't see what is particularly liberal about having the ability to recognize the wrongs done by racism/imperialism (or trying to work to dismantle them).
I think you meant something else that I am probably not seeing, understanding, or catching here. Can you explain what you meant so I can have a clearer understanding of it?