Editor's
Note:
We hope you enjoy the selected articles we bring to you
from all over the world. It is always good to see and
hear viewpoints that do not necessarily match
conventional thinking.
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Presumption of Virtue - by Jaffer Ali
Re-examine all that you have been told . . . dismiss
that which insults your soul.
--Walt Whitman
One of the curious peculiarities of having one foot in
two different cultures is that you never quite fit into
either them. It is as if one stands detached from the
rhetoric, customs and norms that each culture takes for
granted.
There is a sense of isolation because it is as if you
can peer through the fog that every culture constructs
to rationalize its behavior. Nowhere is this more
clearly pronounced than when discussing the Middle East
conflict.
When discussing the Middle East with Americans, there is
this "presumption of virtue" that underlies the
discussion. In other words, the point of departure is
that America stands for principles of "truth, justice
and the American way."
I first heard these words while watching George Reeves
portray Superman on television as a kid. George Reeves
eventually committed suicide, but that is just an odd
footnote to this story.
Looking from "outside" the culture, one quickly
questions this presumption. Think about the plight of
the native Americans, the history of slavery in the
states, the Tuskegee experiments (where hundreds of
blacks were secretly infected with syphilis to chart the
progress of the disease over 40 years), My Lai, the
firebombing Tokyo which killed 200,000 civilians in WW
II, Abu Ghraib prison scandal and the list could go on.
One could develop a very long list indeed of actions and
policies that were less than virtuous. Having said this,
it would be wrong to have the presumption of vice.
Of course the above list is not the whole story of
America. This is a great country that allows opportunity
for all. Democracy flourishes. One is free to criticize
the govern- ment and officials. One can even create
publications like Viewpoint that systematically seeks
the truth. Americans are generous and while they like
winners, there is a soft spot for underdogs.
These are virtues to be sure. But do these grand
qualities confer the presumption of virtue? We cannot
presume virtue or vice. In fact, why are presumptions
necessary at all? They only interfere with getting at
the truth.
Arabs display the same kind of presumption by the way.
Every ill inside Arab societies is blamed on the West,
Israel, the US, Britain or the Ottomans (Turks). "They"
are to blame for every dysfunction in the region. The
presumption of virtue dominates the culture so
completely that self criticism is rare.
Virtue and vice should never be presumed by any seeker
of truth. As I write this, there are those that object
saying, "But we Americans really ARE the good guys. You
can't compare us with others." Being good or bad must
rise and fall on the actions themselves and not a priori
presumptions.
This presumption of virtue leads to ridiculous
statements. Alan Dershowitz, the former civil
libertarian, now suggests that torture can be justified
"if you knew lives could be saved." His presumptions
overwhelm his logic and reveal a deep racism.
How can someone "know" if someone has helpful knowledge
with absolute certainty? Dershowitz has lived his entire
life speaking against presumptive knowledge. But he has
condoned Israeli torture of Palestinians and now
endorsed torture against those he claims are terrorists
or have knowledge of terrorism. Arabs can be tortured by
men of virtue who know what cannot be known. One can
only ask if racism underlies his new found morality
matrix.
In our justice system, all presumptions are supposed to
be for the defendant. Here, the presumption is one of
innocence. Guilt must be proved. At Guantanamo Bay,
everyone is presumed guilty. This goes on without much
public outcry.The prisoners have different color skins
and speak foreign languages. They have a different
religion.
It is extremely challenging to deconstruct one's belief
system. The really odd thing about doing so is that you
often end up thinking exactly opposite from what you
originally thought. White becomes black. Black becomes
white. Zionism is revealed as racism. Virtues become
vices.
When reading about the Middle East, follow Walt
Whitman's advice,
"Re-examine all that you have been told . . . dismiss
that which insults your soul."
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Jaffer is an Arab-American businessman who writes on
business and politics.
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More selected readings
New Draft: Army cancels Discharges
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5323674
Is This Tribal Leader Going To Save Iraq?
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=625602004
Israeli Politician Lets The Truth Slip
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/avnery.php?articleid=2723
The Neo-Cons War- By Justin Raimondo
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=2727
Media Buys Government Line On Wedding Massacre
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A6394-2004Jun1?language=printer
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