Neo-Nazis and Pothos.org

[Perseus]

Apart from the pasted Neo-Nazi URLs on the thread entitled -½What did being Greek mean to Ancient Greeks-+, I have received numerous email threats of the silliest and at the same time worse kind.I believe that for the sake of this forum, moderators, admins, owners and everyone else interested should research a more appropriate, in this case -½private-+ alternative to this forum, where users register, their IP is logged, they can be banned etc. Otherwise I fear that a downward spiral is inevitable.With true interest for preserving the essence of this forum,Alex -½Perseus-+ K.

[nick]

Clear case. I deleted the link-message immediately. this has no place at pothos.org.
I have come across that very website earlier and actually filed a complaint about it with our Dutch agency that is the national 'watchdog' against neo-nazi websites. The site in question is hosted by a provider in the US where sites like that are not banned. So it was beyond their jurisdiction.
I regret that you have received emails of that kind. I don't know in which country you are? There might be an agency that could take steps against them.
The pothos.org posting page does not require anyone to leave a valid email address. As long a people like that are hanging around the Forum, I would advice anyone not to include one's email.

Hope we're save again in a not to distant future.
Regards - Nick

[Perseus]

Thank you Nick for the prompt response. I-¦m sure all readers are better off knowing that sites and posters like this are deleted in no-time. The content of the emails (Hailing the emergence of Slavic dominion), or the nature of the threats themselves were so silly that they didn-¦t offend or alarm me. However, I felt alarmed for Pothos, who could be flooded by tens of little kids if they saw they could roam around unchecked, and thus it could lose the credibility it has maintained so far. There are interesting and knowledgable people here that really want to share what they know, and what they believe about Alexander. Usually they know how to converse and debate in a serious and civil manner. The rest should have no place in Pothos. Thanks again,
Alex K.

[nick]

Hi Alex -To avoid things like this in the future:I think we should refrain - in general - from statements about 'superiority' - be it a culture, a nation or whatever.The ancient Greeks definitely believed their culture being superior to those of the 'barbarian' world surrounding them. However, this belief was entirely free from the modern context of holocausts, mass destruction, racism, ages of trans-Atlantic slave trade, etcetera.One of the foremost researchers of African history, Basil Davidson, has concluded that 'racism' as we know it today was an 'invention' of the 16th century AD that coincided 'comfortably' with the growing volume of trade in human slaves. Whatever the Ancient Greeks thought, racial prejudices like that where not within the framework of their mind.I think it is a great feat of modern scholarship that we have learned to understand different cultures and societies as "different, but equal". The greatest achievement of a human society is to recognize others as equals.Let that be the mission of pothos.orgBest regards -
Nick

[Perseus]

Nick,At the risk of sounding confrontational I can't agree with you there. Though I consider all human beings to be equal, I couldn't possibly say the same about their products and byproducts. Culture/civilization is such a byproduct.I can't accept that the Zulus have an equal civilization to that of the Ancient Greeks, no more than I can accept that the Mongols had an equal to the Ancient Chinese. I measure civilization by the amount that humanity benefited from it. And they definately aren't all equal. Our very discussion here today exists because some civilizations triumphed over others.Of course what Pothos represents is entirely up to you, I just felt compelled to respectfully disagree with you there!Regards,Alex

[vagabond]

Alex
What a difference a word makes.
I agree with the point that Nick is making - and agree with you as well - but Nick was specific in his use of Cultures/Societies - which you interpreted as Civilizations - something very different.
All cultures are deserving of equal respect.
How to choose to rank civilizations is a debate that historians will be having long after we are fossils (if we last that long).

[Perseus]

Good point there CF. But if we want to get really analytical and thorough, I see society and culture as an impersonal object, and again a product of man. It can be judged and rated just as easily and fairly as Egyptian Cotton can. When we say society and culture we don-¦t mean a group of people, but rather a system that a group of people have chosen to live by. By those standards, the Taliban as a group of people should be treated just as fairly as any other human being, but the Taliban as a culture are at the bottom ranks of human societies. I hope you can see the difference between the two. I wish we attach images here, as I-¦d like to make a little sketch that shows the idea I-¦m describing.

[smittysmitty]

Hi Alex,I'm curious,do you have a ranking system for contemorary society? and if so, which would be in your top 10 and how you adjudicated them.just curious.
Cheers!

[Perseus]

Forgive me if I can't identify it right away Smitty, but was that sarcasm?

[beausefaless]

Oscar Schindler who befriended the Nazis for personal gain was a beautiful hero in my book, from ashes sprouts new growth.