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Yes, but an explicit apology forces a benchmark of accountability: if the government apologized to group A for committing B, why are they still committing B to

Yes, but an explicit apology forces a benchmark of accountability: if the government apologized to group A for committing B, why are they still committing B to group C?

ftse 17y ago
In an ideal world it would force a benchmark that a government would be honoured to meet. In reality, a government will do whatever it decides is in its own best interest. Which could be anything from making an 'apology' for misdeeds of a past generation to aggressively stimulating the bigotry found in the present one.
anamax 17y ago
"forces"? You clearly don't have much experience with groups of monkeys. Some of the known-successful ways to get around said "benchmark" are "this time it's different", "this government is good", "group C deserves it", and "we're not doing B".
- radu_floricica 17y ago
  Yeah, but it's still much worse if the official climate is that it's "acceptable". It can always be worse, you know.
  - anamax 17y ago
    > Yeah, but it's still much worse if the official climate is that it's "acceptable". How about some supporting evidence? > It can always be worse, you know. Yes, it can always be worse, but whether or not a govt has said something is wrong has no predictive power on that issue. Every post-1900 by-govt mass murder was committed by a "we don't do those things" regime.
ErrantX 17y ago
I personally think its unlikely that an apology to Turing will change many attitudes to homosexuality or encourage a (lasting) crack down on discrimination.
- GrandMasterBirt 17y ago
  True, it will just mean that homosexuals won't be treated to required mind-altering drugs (not the good stuff) and barred from working.
  - rms 17y ago
    What countries require homosexuals to be treated with mind altering drugs? Iran actually goes beyond chemical castration with required physical sex changes: it is illegal to be gay, but it is legal to be transexual. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Iran http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Iran

Yes, but an explicit apology forces a benchmark of accountability: if the government apologized to group A for committing B, why are they still committing B to group C?

ftse 17y ago

In an ideal world it would force a benchmark that a government would be honoured to meet. In reality, a government will do whatever it decides is in its own best interest. Which could be anything from making an 'apology' for misdeeds of a past generation to aggressively stimulating the bigotry found in the present one.

anamax 17y ago

"forces"? You clearly don't have much experience with groups of monkeys. Some of the known-successful ways to get around said "benchmark" are "this time it's different", "this government is good", "group C deserves it", and "we're not doing B".

radu_floricica 17y ago
Yeah, but it's still much worse if the official climate is that it's "acceptable". It can always be worse, you know.
- anamax 17y ago
  > Yeah, but it's still much worse if the official climate is that it's "acceptable". How about some supporting evidence? > It can always be worse, you know. Yes, it can always be worse, but whether or not a govt has said something is wrong has no predictive power on that issue. Every post-1900 by-govt mass murder was committed by a "we don't do those things" regime.

ErrantX 17y ago

I personally think its unlikely that an apology to Turing will change many attitudes to homosexuality or encourage a (lasting) crack down on discrimination.

GrandMasterBirt 17y ago
True, it will just mean that homosexuals won't be treated to required mind-altering drugs (not the good stuff) and barred from working.
- rms 17y ago
  What countries require homosexuals to be treated with mind altering drugs? Iran actually goes beyond chemical castration with required physical sex changes: it is illegal to be gay, but it is legal to be transexual. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Iran http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Iran