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Many of these cultures (including their language) were forcefully banned, obliterated by law, lynching, displacement. discriminatory treatment, and the stealing
by JulianMorrison 12y ago
Many of these cultures (including their language) were forcefully banned, obliterated by law, lynching, displacement. discriminatory treatment, and the stealing of children. I do not exaggerate. So don't pretend they are dying of natural causes when the knife is still sticking out of their back.
- 67726e 12y agoTo play the devil's advocate, maybe they deserve to die out. If they would have innovated and conquered first, their language could have lived and ours could be the one on its deathbed. Survival of the fittest, if you will.
- _ak 12y agoI knew I'd stumble upon Social Darwinism pretty soon here.
- Dewie 12y ago> To play the devil's advocate, maybe they deserve to die out. In other words "let me present my genuine opinion by wrapping it in a more presentable delivery".
- 67726e 12y agoI really have no opinion either way. The thought just crossed my head. What if.
- JulianMorrison 12y agoThe devil has enough advocates. Every time the words "to play the devil's advocate..." cross your brain, just punch yourself in the face instead. Soon the urge will pass.
- 67726e 12y agoEvery time you feel like posting a snarky reply on Hacker News, go fuck yourself. It's an honest question and I was hoping for some interesting answers. I was hoping someone would come along and have something interesting a la Jarred Diamond's "Guns, Germs, & Steel"[0] that may explore what role languages had on development of cultures, similar to the aforementioned book's exploration of the development of civilizations and how that led to the fateful interactions that have shaped the modern world. No, instead of an insightful answer, let's just let our liberal outrage fly at a comment that could not possibly have any good or real intent behind it. I'm clearly just a neo-Nazi posting up in here in HN, advocating the destruction of those damn Injuns! God forbid one uses a rhetorical device! [0] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel
- JulianMorrison 12y agoIf I thought you were arguing in good faith, I'd say something like: you are wasting your time running toxicology screens on a patient with the knife hilt still protruding. It's intensely unsubtle what happened: the languages were banned, boarding schools beat kids for talking anything but English, and so on. However, I feel that nobody plays devil's advocate in good faith. In the worst case it's a shallow wrapper for "lets pretend my hate is a hypothetical" or in the best, "lets spend a few minutes kicking the skulls of innocents down the road, merely for idle argument's sake." Which evinces such a callous disregard it's hardly better than the former.
- 67726e 12y agoNot every dead language is a result of a genocide. My question stands on it's own, and there is more to it than what you imply. Yes, the most obvious, ready examples are what you say, but not all.
- civilian 12y agoIf languages are natural, then humans and all their crappy actions are also natural.
- JulianMorrison 12y agoYou're equivocating and that isn't an argument. "My nose can't be running, it does't have legs." Yes, but there is snot dripping down your face.