Geoff Coupe's Blog

Reflections on life at “De Witte Wand”…

Category: Society

  • Bertrand Russell on God

    Funny how we are saying the same things 50 years later, and the message still hasn’t sunk in…
     
     

  • The Unconsidered Life

    A short video of the philosopher AC Grayling talking about the need for critical thinking, and being a well-informed citizen of the world.
     
     

  • Depressed? – Very!

    Ben Goldacre has another excellent Bad Science column – this week looking at Climate Science – and the truly depressing vile mixture of denialism and conspiracy theories that’s swirling around it. As Ben says, "the same rhetorical themes [are] re-emerging in climate change foolishness that you see in aids denialism, homeopathy, and anti-vaccination conspiracy theorists". Add to that the fact that Zombie arguments are stalking the land of public discourse in droves:
    ‘arguments which survive to be raised again, for eternity, no matter how many times they are shot down. “Homeopathy worked for me”, and the rest. Zombie arguments survive, they get up and live again, immortal and resistant to all refutation, because they do not live or die by the normal standards of mortal arguments. There’s a huge list of them at realclimate.org, with refutations. There are huge lists of them everywhere. It makes no difference’.
    I get very depressed when I read the comments of people who constantly reiterate these Zombie arguments. Rationality has seemingly gone out the window with them. Mind you, I have also little hope that Copenhagen will produce anything of value. At best, it will be a case of too little, too late. Not that this will affect me much – I’ll almost certainly be dead before the more drastic effects of climate change will impinge on me. But my great-nephew is almost twelve, and there seems little doubt that his life will be greatly affected by the changes. He and others of his generation will be quite justified in cursing us for being people who wilfully stuck their heads in the sand and partying like there was no tomorrow. Which, when you think about it, might well turn out to be the case, at least for civilisation as we know it.

  • Foreign Influence At Work

    Another report in The Observer today about the anti-gay bigotry that is growing in Uganda. The report also makes it clear that Uganda is not the only country in Africa where gay people are proscribed – there are a total of 37 countries where gay sex is illegal, in some cases punishable by death. In the meantime, ordinary Ugandans have to tread very carefully.

  • ‘Tis a Puzzlement…

    …that in the 21st Century Archbishop Williams can still state, in all seriousness, that he and his followers should not be seen as "oddities". But, y’are, Blanche, y’are – and what are these awful things that I’m supposed to be doing to you…
     
     

  • What Will Happen…

    … when the bill becomes law?
     
    I’m talking about a particularly pernicious piece of legislation that is before the Ugandan parliament. If this is passed, it becomes possible for gays to be sentenced to death in Uganda. People like this man.

  • The Atheist Fundamentalists

    Just been watching the Intelligence Squared Debate on the proposition that “Atheism is the New Fundamentalism”. Speaking for the motion were Richard Harries and Charles Moore. Speaking against the motion were AC Grayling and Richard Dawkins.

    It won’t come as a surprise to learn that the proposers of the motion were trounced.

    Intelligence Debate

    Harries was ineffectual and Moore was bordering very close to ad hominem attacks on Dawkins. The problem that the proposers had is that, as evidenced from their opponents’ performances tonight, Dawkins and Grayling clearly aren’t “Atheist Fundamentalists”, no matter how much Harries, and Moore in particular, would like them to be. Dawkins and Grayling were very good and effortlessly staked out their position against the motion.

    It seems to me that an Atheist Fundamentalist is something of a mythical beast, invented by the religious, and has no more likelihood of existence than a pink unicorn. It’s a simplistic label for the lazy to rail against the Four Horsemen of Dawkins, Dennett, Harris and Hitchens.

  • The Power of a Hug

    Alistair reports on his experience with Amma. I know I’m an old cynic, but there is something to be said for the power of a hug. It’s a basic human contact.

  • I Doff My Hat

    An interesting story in today’s Observer about gay men who have adopted children. It’s great to see the many forms that a loving family can take. Here’s the article and here’s the video that lets some of the fathers speak for themselves. I have to say that I doff my hat to them. I think it’s wonderful that they willingly take on the enormous responsibility of raising a child. It’s not something that I think I could do.

  • Disingenuousness Defined

    It seems to me that the "apology" from Jan Moir merely underlines the fact that she is probably not someone that I would point to as a good example of a moral human being.

  • An Answer To Jan Moir

    I’ve just realised that, of course, Lily Allen, with the help of assorted French people, has the perfect answer to Jan Moir’s homophobic scribbles:
     
     
     
    Take it away, Lily and GayClic!

  • Swimming With Ghosts

    A wonderful interview by Johann Hari of Gore Vidal, who vividly impersonates a world-weary Cassandra. I find the portrait strangely attractive. Mind you, I’m much more ambivalent about Vidal the person; for example, I would hardly describe Timothy McVeigh as a "noble boy".
     
    But here’s one heart-stopping thought that Hari brings out: Vidal, at the age of 83 years has lived through one-third of the lifespan of the United States.

  • Alf Garnett in a Tiara

    I think that’s a pretty good summary of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.

  • The Only True Liberal Position

    I see that Tariq Ramadan has been giving us the benefit of his opinions again:

    My position on homosexuality is quite clear…Islam, as Christianity, as Judaism, as even the Dalai Lama…[are] not accepting of homosexuality, saying that this is forbidden according to the principles of our religion…My position, with homosexuals, is to say, "We don’t agree with what you are doing, but we respect who you are," which I think is the only true liberal position that you can have.

    As Ophelia says, this is hardly the “only” true liberal position that you can have. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it shows very clearly what a piece of work Tariq Ramadan is, and why I totally reject his “philosophy”. Indeed, I think Mo sums Ramadan up pretty well. It’s hardly surprising that the city of Rotterdam terminated his contract as an “integration advisor”. But then again, one wonders how they ever fell for his sophistry in the first place.

  • The Rise of the Real Midwich Cuckoos

    Jenni Russell has an eye-opening article in The Guardian about the erosion of adults’ powers to deal with children. The example she gives of a school dinner lady, Carol Hill, being sacked as a result is appalling. If it is indeed indicative of what is happening in UK society, then I agree with Russell – it completely undermines the importance of a community, and the importance of social pressure and shame.
     
    It is truly ironical that it turns out to be a Labour government that seems to be intent on fulfilling Margaret Thatcher’s dictum: "There’s no such thing as society".

  • Dirtying The Reputation Of Islam

    Another depressing report in today’s Observer on how Islamists are targeting, attacking, and in some cases, killing Iraqi gays. They seek out their victims via gay chatrooms on the Internet. In the words of one of the attackers, Abu Hamizi:
    "It is the easiest way to find those people who are destroying Islam and who want to dirty the reputation we took centuries to build up."
    As the report says, when he finds them, Hamizi arranges for them to be attacked and sometimes killed. It seems to me that Hamizi is doing a sterling job of dirtying Islam’s reputation all by himself. He presumably thinks Muhammad would be proud. Any decent human being would be appalled.

  • Turing Gets His Apology

     
    Interestingly, the Guardian writes that Turing "has no known surviving family". That apparently, is not true. John Graham-Cumming (the originator of the petition) has been contacted by direct descendants of Turing’s elder brother.

  • One Small Step For A Man

    But alas, no sign yet of a giant leap for Mankind. The good news is that Sayed Pervez Kambaksh is free and has been smuggled out of Afghanistan. The bad news is that he is unlikely to ever see the rest of his family again, and those that wish him dead are still in positions of power in his home country:
    Hardline Islamists, including a number of political figures close to the government of President Karzai, have repeatedly called for Mr Kambaksh’s execution and were fiercely critical when an appeal court reduced the original death sentence to 20 years’ imprisonment. One senior diplomatic source said: "The danger is very real and we are well aware that there will be a reaction when it becomes clear that Pervez had gone. It was imperative he was safely out of the way before attempts could be made to block that."

  • Asking For Permission

    A rather good advert from Ireland that poses an excellent question.
     
     
     
    Once the law was changed here back in 1998, I didn’t have to ask 12 million Dutch adults for permission to marry. Here’s hoping the Irish see sense as well.
     
    (hat tip: Nicholas Whyte)

  • To Hell In A Handbasket

    Two pieces in the current issue of Standpoint that feed my feelings of misanthropy.
    Here we are at the start of the 21st century, yet the horror goes on, unabated it seems…