... wrote on Jan 27^th, 2016 at 6:39pm:


See the words "Translate this page", in blue?

Take a guess at what happens when you click those links.

Lord Herbert wrote on Jan 28^th, 2016 at 9:19am:


Of course it's counter-productive. Imagine moving to a new country and arguing they should change their flag. Who would do this? Who has done this? And most importantly, why?

Why would an immigrant care about a country's flag?

The answers to these questions are all clues that the proposition of this thread is ludicrous. The idea that Muslims are leading an attack on Western culture and the symbols of western nationalism has been twisted into surreal arguments like this one. That such porkies are created and spread in the first place is not the whole problem.

The problem is that people believe it without a shred of evidence. The problem is that people are happy to accept it, even when its proven to be a lie. The problem is that when it comes to Muslims, people are happy to throw basic human psychology out the window.

The strange thing is, you've acknowledged that the Muslims you once knew and worked with were "good people". Despite this, you're prepared to suspend all disbelief and swallow any old Muslim story, even the porkies. You have, of course, been caught out spreading your own porkies, so it makes some sense. You see yourself as an active player in the propaganda campaign. You spread lies yourself, and when people call you on them, you play the victim and say they should be banned from any threads you start. You call them hysterical. You call them liars. You play every trick in the book to silence those who point out your porkies.

No worries, Herbie. You're a propagandist. My worry is that as information technology expands, people are losing their critical ability. They accept the lies as news. They don't read for basic facts, but quick judgments. There is so much news and information out there, they just want to be told the truth, and in so doing, they accept the lies. People skim read and don't pay attention to the facts they're presented. As we move into an age where information and social media drives politics, topples governments and causes revolutions, these skills are critical.

Your argument, on the other hand, is that people dismiss all this and blindly accept your message, even when it's a lie. You argue that this is happening already, and yes, on this we agree. Look how many in this thread are still supporting a lie, even when the basis of that lie is delusional. Of course Muslims trying to change a European flag would be counter-productive. What could possibly be in it for them?