Subject: Re: moorish temple
From: John Anderson <panic-AT-semiosix.com>
Date: 19 Oct 2002 09:47:20 +0200


On Sat, 2002-10-19 at 02:29, Maldoror wrote:
> the fact is that no matter how much we wish to
> discredit racial slurs, they have very real
> consequences when they become realized and organized
> in places groups like the KKK, etc. 

The racial slurs aren't that which is realised. The organisations and
the words are both expressions of an underlying way of thinking. Nobody
ever succeeded in preventing a mode of thought by outlawing the use of
certain words, or the existence of a group. Why do you think there are
so many words for genitals? So many words for gays?

All that happens is that the expressions of a way of thinking are driven
underground for a while. Where they may or may not eventually expire,
depending on other factors.

> > So calling architecture Moorish is insulting the
> > architect? Or the
> > building? I'm not quite sure about this one...
> 
> Arabic architecture is how every arab i've ever
> encountered called it, with annoyance that ppl still
> call it moorish.

And canadians get annoyed when you ask them if they're american. And if
you told a greek mama that she made wonderful turkish food, she'd be
annoyed. So following your argument, the terms "american" and "turkish"
are racist? Oh dear. I'd better start calling them "People who live on
the landmass between the Atlantic and the Pacific" and "East
Mediterraneans" then.

> you wouldn't call the architecture of
> central african villages nigger architecture would
> you?

I wouldn't accuse someone of being racist purely because described a
black man as "a niggly sonofabitch".

Go to www.arabicnews.com. Do a search for Moorish (as opposed to Moor).
In fact, do a google search for Moorish. The basic difference is that
one is spelt M O O R, whereas the other has an I S H on the end. It's
funny how in languages, differences in spelling often denote differences
in meaning.

In Spanish as spoken in Spain, especially southern Spain, there's a term
'moros' which is apparently derogatory. But that's not English as spoken
in various places around the world. And if you told a Mexican that he
was a moros, my guess is he'd ask you what weed you'd been smoking and
could he please have some. Or he'd think you have a speech defect and
couldn't say the letter 'n', in addition to your inadequate grasp of the
usage of plurals in English.

There's a Salman Rushdie book called "The Moor's last sigh". I guess
that would make Salman Rushdie a racist. Oh well, I better burn all the
copies I have of his books then. Pity about that, he writes quite well.
And since Shakespeare's Othello also has a Moor in it, I'd better get
rid of all his books too. And as for Michael Moorcock, well shit, a dude
with a name like that can't possibly not be a racist. And those Scottish
people who called certain geographical features "Moors". Well, those
Scotch folk have always been racist, haven't they? Bloody ungrateful
rebels.

bye
John