From the first page of this thread:
Quote:What you refuse to contemplate is that in both cases, we are talking about an abstract principle, that is as far away from the reality of the individual's day-to-day life as can be: Malaysians don't, and never will, have the opportunity to partake in a stoning and witness the full horrors of what happens, and nor will an average American ever partake in a drone strike in which they must witness women and children getting killed, maimed and/or psychologically traumatised for the rest of their lives.
Quote:Like I said, to them stoning is just an abstract principle that is as far away from their reality as you can get. Ask them an inconsequential question about a principle that they know they will never see in real life, they'll answer 'yes' - but actually put a stone in their hands and say "beat that adulterer to death", and they will undoubtedly reel in horror.
Quote:I suspect because the responders are completely detached from their own personal reality when answering such questions. Asking "should adulterers be stoned" to a person who has never known the practice, and who is acutely aware that the practice will never be implemented in his society is obviously completely different to dragging an actual adulterer up to the same person and asking them to condemn them to death via stoning.
From the previous thread: - more of Gandalf "not insisting" that these Muslims would change their mind and reject what they claimed to support:
polite_gandalf wrote on Dec 24
th, 2013 at 8:55am:
freediver wrote on Dec 24
th, 2013 at 7:52am:
here is Gandalf making excuses for his fellow Muslims
Its not about apologising or excusing, its about coming up with an explanation for why their stated beliefs about this punishment is at odds with their demonstrated behaviour. Why doesn't Malaysia (a democracy) have stoning in their penal code if most muslims love it so much? Why isn't it even so much as discussed? Why do Malays simply don't care about the issue until asked to make a 'yes' or 'no' response to a completely detached and hypothetical survey?
Quote:If you knew anything about Malaysia you would know that there are separate islamic laws that apply only to Malays. The point is though, if muslims were that passionate about introducing stoning, there would be at the very least some serious public debate about it. There is none. And like most things of this nature, once a public debate starts, public support for it will undoubtedly wane.
Quote:Of course it is less abstract - because it is being presented as an actual policy to be voted on. Are you seriously suggesting there would be no difference to a pollster asking an Australian tomorrow about their support for capital punishment, and asking Australians to vote in a referendum whether or not to bring it back after a year of public debate?
Quote:People can act all principled on an issue they know only from stories, and know will never have any chance of becoming implemented in their society. But like all these things, if and when a serious debate actually arises, and the issue changes from abstract to "actual possibility", public opinion will change dramatically.
Quote:No, I'm saying its very easy to be high and mighty about something they have never experienced and knowing for a fact it will never be implemented in their society. Put a stone in their hand, or ask them to condemn an actual adulterer, and it will doubtless be a completely different story.
Quote:No, thats not what I'm talking about at all. "putting a stone in their hand" is just a figure of speech. Its about telling people that, with their support, this *CAN* actually happen
I also found this little gem - Gandalf attempting to use a state that has actually passed the execution for apostasy laws as evidence that it will never happen:
Quote:By the way - there is only one islamist controlled state - Kelantan. But definitely no stoning or executing apostates going on there
And here is Gandalf pretending not to understand that the majority of Muslims who support hte laws make up less than 1/3 of the population, which in a democracy is all the explanation that is needed for why these laws are not passed. Gandalf felt the need to dream up some other excuse - hence all the BS about Muslims not thinking what they say they think.
Quote:By the way, your throw-away line about democracy that you want to pass as an adequate "explanation" only makes sense for apostasy laws, not for stoning for adultery laws. So if you wouldn't mind getting off your high horse for once and come up with another lame-arsed "explanation" for why stoning isn't even close to being on the books, that would be appreciated.
And here is Gandalf in yet another thread pretending it was a trick question by the Pew society:
polite_gandalf wrote on Dec 22
nd, 2013 at 11:39pm:
Did I say it was spin? I even gave you the exact question that was used. I'm merely pointing out that attitudes can change markedly by changing a few words in the question. This is just basic surveys-101. Thus I don't call people barbaric, or "little Hitler's" if they offer ill-considered support for certain barbaric practices - whether it be stoning or drone strikes.