It is one of the better-established findings in psychological research that the relationship between attitudes and behaviour is not at all straightforward. That is particularly true when it comes to predicting behaviour from a person’s racial attitudes and beliefs. For instance, Left-influenced psychologists long thought that a person who was very attached to his own group (race, nation etc.) would thereby automatically be hostile to outgroups (minorities etc.). It is however now well established that there is very little relationship between the two at all. One of my own papers on the subject is here and a review of the academic literature is here.

So you can get “racists” who are hostile to other races and “racists” who are benevolent to other races. Hitler is an obvious real-life example of the former and the 19th century British empire—with its conception of duty as embodied in Kipling’s poem “The white man’s burden”—is a notable example of the latter.

History is generally taught with such a Leftist bias these days however that it takes a lot to undermine the demonized conception of the British empire that people have in their heads. To make it clear how different the Conservative “racists” of the 19th (and earlier) century British empire were from the socialist racists of Nazi Germany, therefore, I often mention the case of Benjamin Disraeli, a Jew who was installed as Prime Minister of Great Britain by the British Conservative party and subsequently by the British voters. He was hugely influential and died among great expressions of national loss in 1881.

British Conservatives who believed that the English were a superior race made a Jew their Prime Minister. German socialists who believed that Germans were a superior race murdered Jews by the millions. Is THAT contrast stark enough? Does THAT show that racism is not monolithic? Racism per se need not be destructive at all. But when it is combined with the hatreds of Leftism, it certainly is.

Leftists however sometimes quibble with my history lesson by saying that Disraeli was not in fact a Jew. They have obviously not read Disraeli. The very name “Disraeli” (d’ Israeli, meaning “of Israel”) might have alerted them to something but there are none so blind as those who will not see.

The tiny hook upon which Leftists hang their quibble is that British law of the day said that a Jew could not enter parliament. So Disraeli’s father wisely had young Benjamin Christened as an Anglican at age 13. Everybody understood this as largely a formality however and Anglicanism then, as now, asked little of its adherents. So how did his “conversion” affect Disraeli? Very little. He in fact often flaunted his Jewishness. He was not so unwise as to speak ill of Anglicanism—he was a great lover of all things British in fact—but he often pointed to his Jewish origins and Jewish traditions as major influences on his thinking and on what he was. He was notorious for NOT “fitting in” with English ways of the day, in fact. He would have fried in Nazi Germany.

Perhaps the most telling indication of how Disraeli was perceived at the time can be found in Bismarck’s famous admiring comment about Disraeli. Did Bismarck refer to Disraeli as “The old Englishman” or as “the old Anglican”? No. What Bismarck said was: “Der alte Jude, das ist der Mann” (The old Jew. THAT is the man). Everybody knew what Disraeli really was and it was simply not held against him. Though it would blow the mind of any Leftist to think such a thought, racists can in fact be very tolerant.

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We read:

“The video content site YouTube has flagged a new campaign ad by Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo, warning of its content and requiring viewers to verify they are 18 or older. The 30-second spot airing on Iowa cable stations this week links the country’s illegal immigration problem to terrorism, depicting an attack on an American mall.

“There are consequences to open borders beyond the 20 million aliens who have come to take our jobs,” the narrator says. “Islamic terrorists now freely roam U.S. soil. Jihadists, who froth with hate, here to do what they have in London, Spain, and Russia.” ...

YouTube is trying to make sure young viewers don’t have access to the ad. “This video or group may contain content that is inappropriate for some users, as flagged by YouTube’s user community,” says its warning. “To view this video or group, please verify you are 18 or older by logging in or signing up.”

Source

Jihadi propaganda like this is OK, of course.

G*ogle is getting so political that the time must surely come soon when conservatives stop using it for searches. There are plenty of alternatives: Live.com, yahoo.com etc.

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US troops improving the Iraqi landscape, one IED at a time. Warning: Language; wanton destruction of Iranian property.

link

the blog québécois

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Welcome to the mid-Nov, 2007 edition of best of me symphony. Live from Parkview Hospital recovery room(s).

Madeleine Begun Kane presents It’s Not That I Don’t Like Movies, But… posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

TherapyDoc presents Secrets and Therapy posted at Everyone Needs Therapy, saying, “Telling the kids. . .”

Edith presents The Secret Quotes posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..

Tupelo Kenyon presents Choose Excellence and Lose Mediocrity posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, “What if you knew that a life of excellence was lurking right around the corner, if you would only prioritize your moments in such a way so that you could recognize it. Take an objective look at the various activities of your life. Get inspired to lose the mediocre to make room for something better.”

blue skelton presents The Last Starfighter posted at Blue Skelton Publications, saying, “Here is my review of The Last Starfighter. It has been one of my most popular posts and I am very proud of it.”

Conan Stevens presents The 300 Workout – What A Load Of Bollocks posted at Conan Stevens Online, saying, “The truth behind the 300 Movie workout, so far this is the most popular article on my site…”

Michael Fowke presents >A vision of Canary Wharf posted at >Money is the way, saying, “My vision and a mystical celebration of the Canary Wharf financial centre in London’s Docklands.”

Rory presents What not to do in Australia: Of a different ‘strine posted at What not to do in Australia.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents The Cost Of Living With Pampered Pets In Luxury And Some Really Weird Pet Products posted at The Digerati Life.

Ashley presents Why It Pays to Be a Good Worker posted at College of Cash.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Ode To Unselfishness posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

Linda Jo Martin presents Ten Tips For New Writers posted at Linda Jo Martin.

Amanda Regan presents A mother of excellence posted at The GOOD, The BAD & The MISCHIEF.

Tupelo Kenyon presents Listen with Your Heart posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, “When someone is talking to you, do you hear with your ears, monitor with your mind, or listen with your heart? Invest a few minutes thinking about the importance of listening well a deliberate conscious act and watch your relationships grow to a new level of closeness and understanding. (Enjoy soothing instrumental music as you read plus songs with lyrics related to each article all free.)”

Alex Blackwell presents 10 Things to Say or Do Every Day posted at The Next 45 Years.

Daylle Deanna Schwartz presents What Do You Really Want? posted at Lessons from a Recovering DoorMat, saying, “Often we get into the habit of making choices based on what we think others would like us to choose. To please them. And we stop being in touch with what we’d really want. This recovering DoorMat gives tips for breaking those habits to make choices based on our needs, not the need to please.”

Madeleine Begun Kane presents ADD Ode (Limerick) posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

Tupelo Kenyon presents What God Wants posted at >Tupelo Kenyon, saying, “What if the earths major belief systems, religions and cultures are based on an inaccurate assumption? What if the fundamental idea, upon which everything else is based . . . is simply incorrect? We have been trying to fix the effects of this error for centuries . . . millennia. This life-changing book asks a pivotal question in the spiritual journey of mankind: What does God Want? This simple, yet profound question implies another: Are we spiritually mature enough to hear the answer? . (Enjoy soothing instrumental music as you read plus songs with lyrics related to each article all free.)”

Alex Blackwell presents 10 Things You Wish You Had Never Learned posted at The Next 45 Years.

TherapyDoc presents The Casual Relationship and Code posted at Everyone Needs Therapy.

Hell’s Handmaiden presents What kind of mind? | hell’s handmaiden posted at Hell’s Handmaiden.

Sheila Scarborough presents < a href="http://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2007/07/03/europe-on-a-placemat/">Europe on a placemat posted at Perceptive Travel Blog, saying, “How much truth can a touristy souvenir hold?”

Robinson Go presents The Pneumothorax Surgery Adventure posted at The Robinson Go Blog, saying, “A 3000+ word account of my Pneumothorax adventure”

Michael Fowke presents Felix Dennis posted at Money is the way, saying, “My chance meeting with a tycoon.”

Jon Swift presents Why Do Conservatives Like Larry Craig Seem So Gay? posted at Jon Swift, saying, “The more one looks at the evidence that Craig seems to be gay, the more one can see that it is really just evidence of being conservative. There are many attributes of conservatism that seem really gay and unfortunately the more we deny that we are gay, the gayer we seem.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of best of me symphony using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: best of me symphony, blog carnival.

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Welcome to this edition of carnival of the vanities. Post from Parkview Hospital, some pain, but glad I have this to do.

Barry Welford presents Sound Will Drive Mobile Web Growth posted at StayGoLinks, saying, “The Mobile Web is having a rocky start with many challenges including input and control via a small cell phone keyboard. Using the sound capabilities of the cell phone provides a better way to surf the Mobile Web.”

edithyeung presents The Man Without Arms posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..

GrrlScientist presents Bait and Switch posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “Inspired by the book by Barbara Ehrenreich, which describes the tribulations faced by job seeking white-collar workers who are “in transition”, I expound upon these challenges while also reviewing this book.”

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Fishing For Company posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

Jon Swift presents My Favorite Comedy, Explained posted at Jon Swift, saying, “In order to scientifically analyze just how comedy works I’m going to dissect one of Woody Allen’s funniest films, which is probably my purest comedy moment. Unlike many critics, I prefer Allen’s older, funnier movies and I don’t think he has ever topped his 1978 comedy Interiors.”

Jeremy Neal presents Check Your Ego posted at Thoughts on Quotes, saying, “Braggerts deserve a beat down.”

KCLau presents Anti Sell Links Act by Google posted at ComicTan, saying, “From the latest PageRank update, many blogs PR was affected. Some are reduced, but then restored after a week, such as Problogger. Some are permanently reduced, such as JohnChow. Google penalize bloggers who sell links. I think whenever there is a war, there will be collateral damage. Look at this cartoon for the whole picture.”

GrrlScientist presents Scientists Create Genetically-Engineered Supermice posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “Not happy with the regular mousey pests, scientists create their own supermice—I sure hope none of these escape and set up housekeeping in my apartment!”

FitBuff presents >First Date Ideas posted at FitBuff.com’s Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of the vanities using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival of the vanities, blog carnival.

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