Dong, that last sentence is chilling in its accuracy. Greed (like xenophobia) is a constant among human beings. One would hope that the process of evolving as a species would include overcoming some of our baser instincts rather than excusing them, and while I am certain that is true, there are many among us who argue for their rights to remain base.
I get so fucking sick of people saying "It's just natural to like your own kind more than those who are different and to look out for your own needs to the exclusion of others", as if being "natural" was a valid excuse for being a disgusting human being! It's not, it's just the logic of the illogical, the wisdom of the extremely stupid.
No, they don't learn from history, in fact, learning is not their goal. Learning requires the ability to weigh and assign value to bits of information and then assimilate that new knowledge into the vast array of known circumstances in which we live. It requires us to be willing to GROW BEYOND the limitations of previously determined conventions and take risks that we may be wrong.
Those who require the safety of the opinions of others and cling to "tradition" will ALWAYS be a detriment to any group, and the human condition as a whole. I refer to this brand of thinking as "stupid", because that's what it is. I refer to it as "dangerous", and history is bearing that out right before our eyes.
I remember posting after the fallen election in 2004 that the right to say "I told you so" will sound hollow in the wreck that will be America by the time it collapses. Fuck ALL you blind right-wing assholes that helped usher in our demise. I KNEW this was coming, but then I have an uncanny ability to pick up on the readily apparent.
