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Originally Posted by Trollheart
Actually no, it doesn't sound condescending at all, and it makes sense. I'm just not sure how it fits in here. If you're saying were this a thread titled "What do we do about the IRA and those who fund them?" I would agree that they should not be funded, but how does that link to the topic?
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The point is, if you don't have a useful understanding of an issue, then going off half-cocked can actually inflame the problem by treating it in a way that doesn't fix it. Coming down on the police, even if there is a real problem, in a way that doesn't reflect the reality of the situation is basically creating two narratives: the real one, and the one you imagine.
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You're right that I don't live there and only get dripfed by the news, but short of moving there, which I'm not going to, corresponding directly with those who do (like you guys I guess) what am I to do? The news is reporting what's happening: they're not making it up. It may be sensationalised, but people are still dying. And they all seem to be of one colour.
Which makes me want to quote Peter Gabriel: "When I try to sleep at night/ I can only dream in red/ The outside world is black and white/ With only one colour dead."
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I don't form opinions about the IRA because I don't really know much beyond the basic facts. For all I know as an ignorant American, the IRA were freedom fighters who were completely justified in their actions and should be lauded as heroes, even if their methods were often extreme and caught innocent people in the crossfire. Me publicly articulating my uninformed positions could contribute to a narrative that was actually more harmful than if I had just said nothing.