tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31631611.post6632893873250331840..comments2023-11-02T09:35:16.174+00:00Comments on La Femme Contraire: Bad Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826777782422384955noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31631611.post-23844747883182185022006-11-28T21:21:00.000+00:002006-11-28T21:21:00.000+00:00Indeed there are different ways to be kind - Gracc...Indeed there are different ways to be kind - Gracchi is right that we often give children what they need rather than what they want. This becomes more complex when applied to adults though - as while they may not always want was is best for them their right to autonomy must be respected. We also assume they are in a better position to judge what is best for them than children are.<br /><br />Do check that article, cracker. Indeed it annoys me that Christians adore MT uncritically, uncritical adoration of anybody tends to bug me somewhat. It usually leads me to bending the stick the other way. I think this has also been the case with Hitchens (he had quite a good go at Princess Diana too). She was a woman I felt sorry for rather than praised as some people did.Bad Kittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826777782422384955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31631611.post-25443056841957816912006-11-28T20:56:00.000+00:002006-11-28T20:56:00.000+00:00I love gracchi's point about different ways to be ...I love gracchi's point about different ways to be kind.<br /><br />And I'm gonna have to check out that article! So many non-Christians just uncritically adore her because she was "good to the poor."CrackerLilohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18176388186521154104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31631611.post-87286622938823433772006-11-28T20:55:00.000+00:002006-11-28T20:55:00.000+00:00Exactly, Gracchi. Those people were not respected ...Exactly, Gracchi. Those people were not respected as autonomous adults.<br /><br /> Although I'm not quite sure it could be construed as kind to not give painkillers to either adults or children in pain. I also believe MT to have been motivated by as much egoism as kindess (her own form of kindness, that is).Bad Kittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826777782422384955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31631611.post-48689431763051316232006-11-28T11:53:00.000+00:002006-11-28T11:53:00.000+00:00Interesting post about MT. It seems to me that the...Interesting post about MT. It seems to me that there is a distinction between being kind to someone by giving them what we think they should have and being kind to someone by giving them what they actually want. From what you've written MT fits into the first category- she decided it wasn't good for these people to have painkillers so didn't give them to them. I still think that's kindness- afterall its what we do when we send children to school but it does seem to me in the case of adults to violate another ethical principle that of autonomy.Gracchihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06344262838391424797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31631611.post-73945218404711695092006-11-28T10:41:00.000+00:002006-11-28T10:41:00.000+00:00Oh absolutely, I didn't mean to ignore colonisatio...Oh absolutely, I didn't mean to ignore colonisation, but I think there is a real issue with contraception, especially given the aids problem there as well. As well as colonisation, the present day policies of eg the EU are very destructive, as they prevent African farmers competing with European ones (ask a few Kiwis about the EU's agricultural policies, or a few English for that matter ...)Political Umpirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05025804183639479675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31631611.post-19973052335444327442006-11-27T21:09:00.000+00:002006-11-27T21:09:00.000+00:00Indeed, PU. However, the point I was making was th...Indeed, PU. However, the point I was making was that MT is inconsistent, as if she really believed contraception to be such an evil one would have expected her to have been more outspoken about Indira Ghandhi's population control policy. That is not consistent even by MT's own standards.<br /><br />As for Africa I'd say the legacy of colonialism has a lot to answer for too.Bad Kittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826777782422384955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31631611.post-75946258169729930282006-11-27T10:12:00.000+00:002006-11-27T10:12:00.000+00:00Excellent post. A while ago (it was in NZ) I read...Excellent post. A while ago (it was in NZ) I read a similar viewpoint, in particular the point about MT letting people suffer without painkillers because that's what Jesus did. I agreed entirely - as I do with your post - but didn't store the memory of the source so have to be a bit careful about repeating the argument. <br /><br />The point about contraception is, of course, hardly confined to MT since it's the official Vatican position. That, along with the corruption, trade restrictions, tribal rivalries and absence of the rule of law are the primary factors behind Africa's parlous state. It seems not PC to be able to say so, however.Political Umpirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05025804183639479675noreply@blogger.com