In London, who are the people protesting against President Trump?

[Ash]

Individuals are to communities as fish are to water. If you're trying to catch a fish, you have to first 'target' the water.

Wasn't this the 'reasoning' behind the napalming of entire villages? Yes, you might succeed in killing a couple of targets but you will have made a lot more enemies.

I'm not arguing against profiling, more questioning the broadness of a target.

[World's End Stella]

Hardly comparable. If I knew or suspected a man I knew was a rapist or heard someone exhorting men to commit rape, I'd contact the police immediately. Do muslims do the same vis-a-vis radicalised young men or radicalising preachers? No, I'm afraid that in many cases they do not.

That's deflection, Burney. What you say is accurate but not material to the point I made.

If it is ok to target Muslim communities in a public way because all Islamic terrorists are Muslims, why is it not ok to target men in a public way when all rapists are men?

[Monty92]

Not sure if it ever made it over here, but when I worked in Toronto in the early 90s feminists asked all men to wear pink ribbons on their suit jackets as a demonstration of their support for the elimination of violence committed by men against women.

I refused to participate for obvious reasons. I see very little difference between that and plastering anti-terrorism posters all over predominantly Muslim areas, as an example.

You are literally all over the place on this issue, Jeff. Almost as if you've never actually really thought about it before and are typing on the fly.

[SWv2]

Individuals are to communities as fish are to water. If you're trying to catch a fish, you have to first 'target' the water.

That's deep man.

[Burney]

Not sure if it ever made it over here, but when I worked in Toronto in the early 90s feminists asked all men to wear pink ribbons on their suit jackets as a demonstration of their support for the elimination of violence committed by men against women.

I refused to participate for obvious reasons. I see very little difference between that and plastering anti-terrorism posters all over predominantly Muslim areas, as an example.

You're comparing an empty gesture to a practical measure, though. Would I wear a pink ribbon? No. Would I do everything in my power to ensure an actual or potential rapist was stopped? Absolutely. Would I feel that the existence of a rapist stigmatised me as a man? Absolutely not.
I'm afraid that, as I've said, in the analogous situation, the same cannot be said about muslims, radicalisation and terror.

[World's End Stella]

You are literally all over the place on this issue, Jeff. Almost as if you've never actually really thought about it before and are typing on the fly.

Um, no, I'm not. I've been completely consistent, thanks.

[World's End Stella]

You're comparing an empty gesture to a practical measure, though. Would I wear a pink ribbon? No. Would I do everything in my power to ensure an actual or potential rapist was stopped? Absolutely. Would I feel that the existence of a rapist stigmatised me as a man? Absolutely not.
I'm afraid that, as I've said, in the analogous situation, the same cannot be said about muslims, radicalisation and terror.

Yes, but the concept is the same. Identifying a cross section of our society and publicly focusing on them as needing to be part of the solution to a problem will necessarily stigmatise that cross-section of our society.

And as I've said, I'm not completely opposed to it, I just think it's a measure of last resort and we need to be very careful with that approach.

[Burney]

Wasn't this the 'reasoning' behind the napalming of entire villages? Yes, you might succeed in killing a couple of targets but you will have made a lot more enemies.

I'm not arguing against profiling, more questioning the broadness of a target.

Well actually it's the fundamental principle of Maoist guerrilla strategy looked at from the other side. And, the fact is that it's effective, as the British proved in the Boer War and Malaya. If you take away the water, the fish die.

Although I'll grant you that it can be a bit messy.

My narrower point, however, was that if you're going to try and catch or stop a terrorist, you go where he is rather than where he isn't.

[Burney]

That's deflection, Burney. What you say is accurate but not material to the point I made.

If it is ok to target Muslim communities in a public way because all Islamic terrorists are Muslims, why is it not ok to target men in a public way when all rapists are men?

Well if by 'target' you mean 'treat as potential suspects until proved otherwise' it's fine by me on both counts. I'm happy to rule myself out of a rape enquiry any time you like, thanks and wouldn't feel stigmatised at all.

[World's End Stella]

Well if by 'target' you mean 'treat as potential suspects until proved otherwise' it's fine by me on both counts. I'm happy to rule myself out of a rape enquiry any time you like, thanks and wouldn't feel stigmatised at all.

So you would have worn the pink ribbon?