[Vision2020] Separation Of Church And State Marginalized...

[Ted Moffett]

It's likely you make a valid point, given that many "racists" (I put that
word in quotes because race is not a scientific concept, but a socially
constructed fantasy of sorts) in the US who harbor prejudice based on skin
color, also harbor prejudice based on religion.  However, as you point out,
it is more acceptable to pass judgement based on someones religion, so this
is the approach adopted by those highlighting Barack Obama's middle name
"Hussein," given its associations with the Middle East and Islam, or who
spread inaccurate claims regarding Obama's alleged Islamic background.

In a close election, false statements about political candidates, even if
only believed in by a percent or two of voters, can swing the election, so
spreading false rumors is a deliberate, cynical and effective tactic,
especially given that many voters will not do extensive objective fact based
research.

The modern science of persuasion works, targeting decision making processes
in the brain that are not based on conscious fact and reason based
assessments.

Ted Moffett

On 9/7/08, Loren Singh <loren.singh at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> >>In fact, given the realities of US politics at this
> >>time in history, any candidate for president or vice president must
> >>announce, and back up by action, they are a devout Christian, or they
> will
> >>have a limited chance of election.  Witness Obama's repeated insistence
> he
> >>is not Muslim, his emphasis on his Christian faith, and the attacks, by
> >>those wishing to undermine his campaign, that he has a Muslim background.
>
> The casting of aspersions about Obama's religion is the polite way for
> racists
> to adorn their racism with the more "socially acceptable" and "politically
> correct"
> window dressing of religious bigotry.
>
>
>
>
>
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