all right

Occasionally adding corroborative details to add verisimilitude to otherwise bald and unconvincing,
but veridicous accounts
with careful attention, indefatigable assiduity, and nice discrimination.

17 November, 2015

The Easy Way to Stop Troubles: Ignore Them

Facebook is full of people repeating such silliness as this:
“Everyone is worried about stopping terrorism.  Well, there’s a really easy way:  Stop participating in it.”

—Noam Chomsky
How wise and true! Here’s what will surely happen:- 
In a back street of a large, major city a jihadist grabs a passing stranger, Joe, and holds a scimitar to his throat.

Jihadist:  Die, crusading bastard!

Joe:  Hey, stop! I’m not involved.

Jihadist (holding his scimitar away from Joe’s throat but still holding Joe in a strong grip):  What?

JoeYour struggle has nought to do with me.  I don’t participate in terrorism.  I believe in live-and-let-live and, to the extent that I have any awareness of the issues, I support your freedom to follow your religion in any way which seems best to you for I am a man of cultured reason and tolerance.  I have “an audacious confidence in the fundamental goodness of others”, including your good self.*

Jihadist:  You’re not a tool of the oppressive, imperialist crusader dogs?

Joe:  No, not I.  I am the very definition of a non-participant.

Jihadist:  Wait, I don’t kill you?

Joe: If it’s no trouble.

Jihadist (releasing Joe):  Oh, well, sorry to have bothered you.  I’ll go grab another victim to behead then.

Joe:  Nice chatting with you.  Good luck with your endeavours. See ya.

Jihadist:  Thanks.  Bye.
*  the words from “I am” to “self”, featuring a quote from the ABC’s jihadist-loving Jonathan Green, were suggested by a poster, Rabz, at Catallaxy Files.

Remember, you too can gain an underserved reputation for wisdom simply by voicing similarly quotable admonitions; for example, try “There’s a really easy way to stop x: stop participating in it”, wherein x = “murder”, “rape”, “burglaries”, “the heat-death of the universe”, “poverty”,
“rough, dry elbows” or “superhero sequels”.