1. Questions Delay Creationist Master's Degrees

Comment #112705 by Aussie on January 17, 2008 at 11:30 pm

I would be well qualified to be on this faculty teaching "Creation Science" in my capacity as an "Evangelical Christian Atheist".

2. 'Letter to a Christian Nation' now available in paperback

Comment #111182 by Aussie on January 13, 2008 at 11:05 pm

Several months ago I loaned my copy of Letter to a Christian Nation to someone and never got it back.

3. US 'doomed' if creationist president elected: scientists

Comment #108933 by Aussie on January 8, 2008 at 1:14 am

What we need for president is not a Creation Scientist but rather an Evangelical Christian Atheist.

4. 'Growing Up in the Universe' now available free online

Comment #88465 by Aussie on November 16, 2007 at 8:38 pm

A brilliant introduction to the wonders of evolution.

Capable of being easily understood by small children and creationists alike.

5. God Talk on 'The View'

Comment #71532 by Aussie on September 19, 2007 at 1:28 am

Is this a representative cross-section of American Womanhood?

6. Charles Brooker's screen burn

Comment #62710 by Aussie on August 11, 2007 at 12:19 am

People on this site are so closed minded.

It does not follow that just because the concentration of active ingredient in a homeopathic remedy is less that one molecule in a volume equivalent to the water of all the seas of planet earth that it cannot be medically effective.

Only the other day I was told of a woman who had an incurable case of ..........

7. Eight-million-year-old bug is alive and growing

Comment #62025 by Aussie on August 8, 2007 at 12:48 am

I couldn't agree more with Happy Hominid. Reading this stuff is exciting and nourishing to the mind and one comes away with a feeling that something new has been learned.

Bellyaching about faithheads is necessary and is certainly the principal purpose of this website but it is usually a matter of constantly restating the obvious. Very little new is being revealed and so it does not produce the same sense of satisfaction as reading of breaking news of discoveries in science.

For those with an open mind you may be interested to know that I have just finished reading a book by Bishop John Sheldon Spong "Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism" and I found it brilliant. It was hard to disagree with most of it. No wonder he is the bane of Fundamentalists the world over.

I would be more than happy to cohabit a world with religionists if they were all like him.

8. Aiming for knockout blow in god wars

Comment #45232 by Aussie on May 27, 2007 at 12:24 am

Yes Richard come to Oz and see Robyn Williams again and meet the rest of us.

Although you are not needed here as desperately as in some other countries that will remain nameless we would love to see you again nonetheless.

I am looking forward to seeing Part II of TROAE tonight even though I have seen it before. Great that it is raising some controversy here in apathetic old Oz.

9. Prayer can improve physical health

Comment #43990 by Aussie on May 23, 2007 at 6:17 am

My old University.

I thought that we had better standards than that.

10. The Cyclic Universe: A Talk With Neil Turok

Comment #42280 by Aussie on May 18, 2007 at 2:45 am

Phew!

11. Global Warming (includes commentary about creationism)

Comment #42151 by Aussie on May 17, 2007 at 5:54 pm

If people wish to play amongst the garbage of junkist websites with the intellectual fringe-dwellers of our society then they are free to do so. But if they bring home this rubbish and expect to be able to sell it to an increasingly discerning population then they are engaging in an activity that will prove as futile as that conducted by the flat-earth enthusiasts of the nineteenth century.

If anyone has new data, or interpretations of new or existing data that is at variance with that accepted by an overwhelming consensus of the world's leading scientists then by all means they should submit it to a respectable journal for peer-review and possible publication – as everybody else must do.

Bleating soviet-style slogans from the sidelines from within junkist websites bunkers, attempting to discredit robust scientific findings by smearing the characters of most of the world's scientific community and invoking grand global conspiracies amongst fiercely competing researchers is both delusional and futile.

12. Faith-Based Fraud

Comment #42150 by Aussie on May 17, 2007 at 5:48 pm

Could not atheists award the title "Reverend" to their own and hence compete on an equal footing:

Archbishop Dawkins

Rabbi Harris

Pastor Dennett

Reverend Hitchens

Intense respect would then be due to such holy men.

13. The Creation Museum: Prepare to believe

Comment #41414 by Aussie on May 16, 2007 at 5:14 am

The $1000 Lifetime Membership seems the best value and the smart way to go.

Crap like this will be much more effective than terrorism at undermining the foundations of American supremacy.

14. Global Warming (includes commentary about creationism)

Comment #41383 by Aussie on May 16, 2007 at 3:55 am

For a hilarious afternoon's entertainment we would suggest a visit to one of the well-known junkist websites. There are in fact several to choose from. We can assure you that it will be the cultural experience of a lifetime as the residents delight you with their quaint beliefs and endearing customs.

The standards of hygiene, however, leave something to be desired as they are not quite up to what we have come to expect in the first world. For this reason care should be taken when negotiating these sites to avoid the piles of trash that litter the area. Particular care should also be taken to avoid the dangerous groups of junkist-website junkies loitering in the shadows of the Forum and Coliseum - desperate for a comfort fix.

A phrase book is not really necessary as they do speak a form of English but you need to be aware that some words and technical terms do not have quite the same meaning that they do in the developed world. This takes a little time to get used to but it will not be long before you are conversing with the best of them.

Whatever you do it is important to avoid questioning the beliefs of the residents as you will more than likely become the target for vicious ad hominem attacks and ridicule. You may even be regarded as the incarnation of one of their many evil spirits.

With luck you could be fortunate enough to recognise the friendly face of one of the McExperts from our very own forum, there to collect their weekly global warming supplies at knockdown prices. Some questions have been raised from time to time about the quality of this merchandise but our McExperts nevertheless appear satisfied with their acquisitions. However, we would strongly suggest that you source your own supplies from a reputable dealer in the West as we believe that the superior quality is well worth the extra cost.

As with any travel, health risks are a danger on these sites. Paranoia and logic impairment - to name just two - are endemic in this area and for this reason we strongly recommend a full course of IPCC shots several weeks before your intended visit to fully protect you against any infection that you might otherwise contract.

However, provided a few sensible and timely precautions are taken beforehand, a rollicking good time should be had by all.

15. Global Warming (includes commentary about creationism)

Comment #41372 by Aussie on May 16, 2007 at 2:59 am

Have you noticed the extremely strong correlation between fundamentalist Christianity, anti-Darwinism and global warming denialism.

Coincidence?

16. Top Scientists Warn of Water Shortages and Disease Linked to Global Warming

Comment #26263 by Aussie on March 18, 2007 at 6:20 am

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4520665474899458831

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XttV2C6B8pU

Has anyone checked out the data presented here?

17. Top Scientists Warn of Water Shortages and Disease Linked to Global Warming

Comment #25426 by Aussie on March 13, 2007 at 3:47 am

Isn't it ironic that those whom you might expect to be the most conscientious stewards of Gods' creation are those who seem to care the least.

On Judgement Day these people will wonder why it is they who are the ones that have been Left Behind.

18. Top Scientists Warn of Water Shortages and Disease Linked to Global Warming

Comment #25424 by Aussie on March 13, 2007 at 3:28 am

Total impact = PopulationSize x AverageIndividualConsumptionRate

Hardly rocket science but it is not politically correct.

19. The Dawkins Confusion: Naturalism ad absurdum

Comment #23641 by Aussie on March 1, 2007 at 11:24 pm

So first, it is far from obvious that Gods are complex. But second, suppose we concede, at least for purposes of argument, that Gods are complex. Perhaps we think the more Beings know, the more complex They are; Gods, being omniscient, would then be highly complex. Perhaps so; still, why does Dawkins think it follows that Gods would be improbable? Given materialism and the idea that the ultimate objects in our universe are the elementary particles of physics, perhaps Beings that knew a great deal would be improbable, how could those particles get arranged in such a way as to constitute Beings with all that knowledge? Of course we aren't given materialism. Dawkins is arguing that theism is improbable; it would be dialectically deficient in excelsis to argue this by appealing to materialism as a premise. Of course it is unlikely that there are such people as Gods if materialism is true; in fact materialism logically entails that there are no such people as Gods; but it would be obviously question-begging to argue that theism is improbable because materialism is true.

So why think Gods must be improbable? According to classical theism, Gods are necessary beings; it is not so much as possible that there should be no such people as Gods; They exist in all possible worlds. But if Gods are necessary Beings, if They exist in all possible worlds, then the probability that They exist, of course, is 1, and the probability that They do not exist is 0. Far from its being improbable that They exist, Their existence is maximally probable. So if Dawkins proposes that Gods' existences are improbable, he owes us an argument for the conclusion that there are no necessary Beings with the attributes of Gods - an argument that doesn't just start from the premise that materialism is true. Neither he nor anyone else has provided even a decent argument along these lines; Dawkins doesn't even seem to be aware that he needs an argument of that sort.

The above is a short sample of the above article where a simple search-and-replace has changed all the singulars to plurals leaving us with an argument with just as much validity as the original. The advantage of the modified version is that it is more general and inclusive than the original because it could be happily be embraced by our Hindu friends amongst others as well as by Christians.

The writer of course could never accept this more generalised version even though the original thesis is a subset of it. Theism, like its appalling fellow travellers - racism, sexism and speciesism always seeks to exclude the outgroup as being of no importance. In any discussion of theology it is always exclusively the Judeo-Christian God that is considered by default. The other fellow's belief is so ridiculous it does not even warrant acknowlegement.

20. Native American populations share gene signature

Comment #22610 by Aussie on February 19, 2007 at 10:54 pm

Does anybody have a view on where the native US populations got their ideas on city building from. Some incredibly elaborate cities have been found in Central and South America with quite advanced civilisations.

Did cities develop independently in the New World and the Old World or did the city building technology come across from Eurasia in migrations later than 11,000 years ago.

There were no cities anywhere 11,000 years ago.

21. Believing Scripture but Playing by Science's Rules

Comment #22281 by Aussie on February 13, 2007 at 10:51 pm

Never underestimate the ability of the human brain to compartmentalise mutually and grossly antagonistic paradigms.

A good example was how SS guards in Nazi concentration camps were able to go home after a grizly day's work at the ovens and then blithely perform their domestic responsibilities as loving and caring husbands and fathers - even playing the violin sublimely (eg in the case of the notorious Heydrich).

Given that compartmentalisation at this gross level is so easily achieved, Ross should have had no difficulty coming to terms with his comparatively innocuous intellectual conflict.

I also think that it could be a case of wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

22. Guinness 'Evolution' Ad

Comment #22147 by Aussie on February 13, 2007 at 3:51 am

Guinness is also a very good drop.

23. Debate between Sam Harris and Reza Aslan

Comment #22142 by Aussie on February 13, 2007 at 3:33 am

I found this debate incredibly frustrating. Aslan monopolised the time inexcusably. He constantly patronised Harris by frequently attacking Sam's approach as lacking sophistication and by implication claiming his own was intellectually superior.

I found this guy arrogant, inconsiderate and dogmatic in the extreme.

He did raise some points that were worthy of further exploration but then did not allow proper dialog to proceed as he singlemindedly pursued his myopic diatribe in an unforgivable monologue.

24. Out of Africa, in the Gut

Comment #21770 by Aussie on February 11, 2007 at 3:45 am

Fascinating! I am passionately interested in this type of research. This particular work has added another confirmatory layer to the evidence already available.

25. Does Richard Dawkins exist?

Comment #21509 by Aussie on February 9, 2007 at 3:33 pm

The God Delusion has been on the NY Times Bestseller list for almost 5 months and is still at no 8 position.

Publicity like this video can only keep interest in the book bubbling along and so maintain its position as a bestseller.

I have almost completed my second reading of it and recently gave, as a birthday present, a copy to my close friend who is a devote Ba'Hai. He says is enjoying reading it.

26. 'God Is Not a Moderate'

Comment #21507 by Aussie on February 9, 2007 at 3:05 pm

Comment #21337 by nrvous:

I think the strongest tactic for arguing with theists is not to debate in terms of 'believer vs. atheist' ("Here's why I don't think God exists.") but rather by pitting believer against believer, as Harris does here ("What makes Christians right as opposed to, say, Muslims?") As long as a person is espousing a faith that has claimed to have exclusively cornered the market on morality, or the afterlife, by virtue of ths true divinity of its particular book(s) (as opposed to the blindingly obvious patent falsity of the books of other faiths) then it is far easier to poke holes in their arguments.

I could not agree more. Why do we not make greater use of this tactic. "Muslims, Hindus and others use the same logic as you but come to mutually contradictory and antagonistic conclusions. Please explain why your conclusions are more valid than theirs"

27. The Current: Part 3: The Religious Right

Comment #21504 by Aussie on February 9, 2007 at 2:29 pm

Yorker,

It is interesting you used to write software. I still run my own software company and get frequent offers from India to write code for us at bargain basement rates.

Your experience confirms the reports from many of my programmer colleagues elsewhere in the US and Europe that they have great difficulty now in being able to make even a subsistence living cutting code. This of course is a very predictable consequence of globalisation and has certainly impoverished a previously affluent section of the Western middle class.

Fortunately it has not yet affected us but I believe that it is only a matter of time.

28. Panel discussion on atheism where no atheists are included

Comment #21375 by Aussie on February 9, 2007 at 12:55 am

If God is omniscient he must be an atheist.

I always knew that we had God on our side.

29. Does Richard Dawkins exist?

Comment #21373 by Aussie on February 9, 2007 at 12:47 am

Whatever your attitude to this video it is just simply more marvellous publicity.

It is as if they have tantalisingly almost reached the point of finally understanding the absurdity of their own arguments.

30. Do stop behaving as if you are God, Professor Dawkins

Comment #21212 by Aussie on February 8, 2007 at 3:42 am

I went up to Oxford to study the sciences in 1971, expecting my atheism to be consolidated. In the event, my world was turned upside down. I gave up one belief, atheism, and embraced another, Christianity. Why? There were many factors. For a start, I was alarmed by some atheist writings, which seemed more preoccupied with rubbishing religion than seeking the truth.

Above all, I encountered something at Oxford that I had failed to meet in Northern Ireland - articulate Christians who were able to challenge my atheism. I soon discovered two life-changing things.

First, Christianity made a lot of sense. It gave me a new way of seeing and understanding the world, above all, the natural sciences. Second, I discovered Christianity actually worked: it brought purpose and dignity to life.

Would he have converted to Islam if he had instead met articulate Muslims who were able to challenge his atheism.

It is all rather sad.

31. Interview with Alister McGrath, author of 'The Dawkins Delusion?'

Comment #21209 by Aussie on February 8, 2007 at 3:33 am

Is a public debate with Professor Dawkins on the cards?

I would like a proper discussion with him. This year I'm debating three of the world's leading atheists: Daniel Dennett, Peter Atkins and Susan Blackmore. As I know a lot about Richard Dawkins I think it would be good to have a discussion and see where it takes us.

Ignore the creep Richard!

32. Sam Harris talks about 'The End of Faith'

Comment #21207 by Aussie on February 8, 2007 at 3:19 am

I just can't get enough of this guy.

33. Believing In Things Unseen Is Not Delusion

Comment #20785 by Aussie on February 6, 2007 at 1:56 pm

Exactly the same line of reasoning can be used to justify the beliefs of Muslims, Hindus etc etc that are mutually antagonistic to the conclusions being drawn here.

Why are his conclusions more valid than theirs?

34. 'Friends of God' Documentary

Comment #20357 by Aussie on February 2, 2007 at 1:09 am

Scot,

The figures from a recent Gallup poll reported in Sam Harris's book Letter to Christian Nation are as follows:

1) 12% of Americans believe that life on earth has evolved through a natural process

2) 53% of Americans are actually creationists believing the cosmos was created 6,000 years ago.

3) 44% of Americans believe that Jesus will return to earth to judge the living and the dead within the next 50 years.

There is no other technologically advanced nation on the face of this earth suffering from such an astounding degree of delusion.

He concludes:

The fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes this, purely on the basis of religious dogma, should be considered a moral and intellectual emergency.

I was first alerted to this alarming phenomenon on a commercial American website forum that I contribute to that is devoted to assisting professional programmers use a particular computer language compiler. The majority of the American contributors to the forum, apart from being very talented and helpful, are fundamentalist Christians holding the bizarre sorts of views listed above. They proselytise at every opportunity. This was surprising to me as I would have thought that programmers, of all people, would have generally operated their thought processes logically.

It is as well to realise that this state of affairs definitely does not exist in Australia, Britain or most other advanced countries. America for some reason that I cannot fathom is afflicted by a pervasive and debilitating malaise. Your experience suggests that you may have been living within a rather non-representative microcosm of your own country - similar to the one that I have visited so often.

35. 'Friends of God' Documentary

Comment #20156 by Aussie on January 31, 2007 at 4:10 pm

The reason you never saw this side of the USA is because it isn't very apparent in most parts of the country and my experience has been that most people in America think these extremists are nuts and recognize the brainwashing.

Scot,

No I think that the reason I never saw it was that my visits were to various scientific research laboratories, respectable universities and government agencies. I suspect that you find it not very apparent for somewhat similar reasons.

In my naivity I used to regard the US as culturally very similar to Australia and in the very restricted circle that I moved this was probably true. It is only in the last few years that I have become aware of the vast gulf that actually separates our two cultures. A prime example is the anachronistic "monkey trials" that are still tearing your country apart today and that leave me dumbfounded as this nonsense has not been an issue in Australia for over a hundred years if ever it was really an issue in the first place. Looking at this phenomenon playing out in your country from our perspective it appears to us as a sick B-grade farce. To put it bluntly it is very difficult for us to accept that it is really happening.

Another problem is the frightening set of statistics that include the revelation that the majority of your countrymen believe the earth is less than 6000 years old. This really becomes dangerous when you have a powerful fundamentalist Christian Zionist movement actively campaigning to undermine the peace process in the Middle East because they wish to accelerate the advent of the Rapture. Couple this with a President who believes that God told him to invade Iraq and you have a recipe for disaster. As Sam Harris says - great stupidity combined with great power is a very dangerous combination.

As an unashamed Americanophile I despair at the current state of your country as most of the rest of the civilised world looks towards you as the bastion of western democracy. Wake up America from your accelerating descent into intellectual and moral chaos before it is too late because you will rapidly lose your pre-eminent position as the global superpower and you will drag the rest of us into the abyss with you.

36. 'God Is Not a Moderate'

Comment #19984 by Aussie on January 31, 2007 at 1:53 am

Let me close by asking you a simple question: What would constitute "proof" for you that your current beliefs about God are mistaken? (i.e., what would get you to fundamentally doubt the validity of faith in general and of Christianity in particular?) I suspect the answer to this question will say a lot about why you believe what you believe.


All I want is to see his answer to this Sam's final question.

37. James Randi on Larry King Live

Comment #19969 by Aussie on January 30, 2007 at 11:31 pm

I also have the rare gift of psychic abilities.

Does anyone have Randi's phone number. I want to get in first before Rosemary changes her mind.

38. 'Friends of God' Documentary

Comment #19964 by Aussie on January 30, 2007 at 10:11 pm

Isn't it reassuring to know that the next generation of leaders in the most powerful nation on earth are being so well informed so early in their lives. This bodes well for "God's Own Country" retaining its pre-eminent position as the most scientifically and technologically advanced civilisation that the world has ever known.

God Help America! - the laughing stock of the rest of the world. How did this sad country ever put men on the moon? Why did I never see this side of the USA in my many visits over several decades. This country is rotting from the inside out. Why is the USA the only country so fatally afflicted?

As Sam Harris says the combination of great stupidity and great power is extremely dangerous. Hold on to your hats.

39. Does Evolution Select For Faster Evolvers? Horizontal Gene Transfer Adds To Complexity, Speed Of Evolution

Comment #19957 by Aussie on January 30, 2007 at 9:41 pm

A much simpler and more elegant explanation is provided by an ingenious theory known as Intelligent Design. Seems like nobody here has even heard of it.

40. 'Hobbit' human 'is a new species'

Comment #19940 by Aussie on January 30, 2007 at 6:47 pm

I look forward to what creationists will make of this with a mixture of pleasure and dread.

Can't be true. 12,000 years ago is twice as long as the age of the earth.

41. 'Hobbit' human 'is a new species'

Comment #19815 by Aussie on January 30, 2007 at 3:54 am

Not only that but it was also discovered that they were atheists.

42. He Calls Himself God

Comment #19752 by Aussie on January 29, 2007 at 6:54 pm

This guy just might be the REAL thing!

43. Blasphemy Challenge on FOX

Comment #19750 by Aussie on January 29, 2007 at 6:46 pm

I have studied Attic Greek (the precursor to Koine) and I am well versed in NT scholarship and Antiquity. (Even though mathematics/statistics is my field.)

WOW!

44. Are politics in your DNA?

Comment #19619 by Aussie on January 29, 2007 at 12:18 am

I don't think there can be any such thing as a "criminal" gene

Oh yes there is. In eighteenth and nineteenth century Britain this gene gave rise to a whole broad social grouping within society known as "the criminal classes".

As part of a very efficient program of genetic cleansing almost all individuals within these classes were transported to New South Wales during this period and the gene rapidly became dominant in the population there and has prospered ever since.

One unexpected side effect of this gene is that it has had quite serious consequences on cricketing ability.

45. CNN Sylvia Browne Fraud

Comment #19609 by Aussie on January 28, 2007 at 10:54 pm

Is the level of gullibility for paranormal phenomena, like the degree of religiosity, much greater in the USA than it is in say Europe, UK or Oz - or is this an incorrect impression that I have gained.

Of course we really need definitive statistics rather than relying on anecdote.

46. Intelligent design is a science, not a faith

Comment #16941 by Aussie on January 9, 2007 at 5:07 pm

Comment #16927 by Duncan1349 on January 9, 2007 at 4:04 pm

I would like to see the figures for the number of atheists/agnostics compared to theists that follow or give credence to ID.

Quite!

I have been trying to ascertain the same figures with regard to "Young Earth Atheists" on the Forum.


Does anyone know of even one impartial and non-religious scientific authority who advocates the Young Earth Creationist hypothesis:

"I am an atheist/agnostic/non-believer and I am convinced that the scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports the hypothesis that life on earth was created in its full diversity over a period of seven days less than 10,000 years ago."

Or is religious faith a sine qua non for such advocacy.

What does that then tell us about the hypothesis?

What does that then tell us about the advocates?


Nobody has been able to come up with a single name - even if you restrict it to Young Earth only and leave out the Creationist bit. I wonder why!

This says it all.

You would have to have some rigid belief into which you are forced to shoehorn all the remainder of your world view.

47. Open Letter to Rev. John Auer

Comment #16817 by Aussie on January 9, 2007 at 1:21 am

This can't be true. Christianity is the ultimate source of morality in our society. Without religion we would all be rapists and murderers.

This can't be true. Priests, of all people, would be aware of the terrible fate in the lake of fire awaiting anyone in the hereafter who would commit such heinous crimes against children.

48. Consciousness Without Faith

Comment #16814 by Aussie on January 9, 2007 at 12:59 am

Comment #16770 by DavidJMH

Sam and others, when you are writing articles for the "lay" public which you hope to swing to your way of thinking, please be so kind as to use clear, simple language we can all grasp, not "in" technical terms that only a few other very clever people understand.

There is no such thing as the "lay public" but rather there are different market segments of lay public and each market segment requires its own separate approach.

In particular there is actually a segment of the lay public out there for whom the terminology in Sam's article above is second nature and he is in fact directing his efforts at that segment. For them his arguments will appear simple, powerful and persuasive. He addresses issues which for them are of profound importance but which might leave others cold. Specifically, he is definitely not preaching to the choir but instead to the enemy - in language that at least some of them (that are worth converting) can understand.

Richard's emphasis on the material world would be found by some people to be cold and sterile and also baffling because of the terminology. (How many of you have read his brilliant work in The Extended Phenotype.). The fact that he doesn't address certain issues will leave spiritually oriented people feeling that his approach is deficient.

There are others who will find the philosophical orientation of Daniel Dennett hard going yet for other people it will be a piece of cake.

Each of these three musketeers is addressing a different audience and the fact that you might find that one or two of them not to be appealing to your proclivities or that they are discussing phenomena of which you have as yet no experience does not mean that they are ineffective for others with a different background.

We need a broad diversity of approach and these three guys are providing it in bucketloads.

49. Consciousness Without Faith

Comment #16809 by Aussie on January 9, 2007 at 12:16 am

What some contributors here perhaps do not realise is that a large proportion of religious people are not spiritual.

It is important to differentiate the two concepts as neither is a necessary precondition for the other.

50. Questionable Mission

Comment #16660 by Aussie on January 8, 2007 at 12:16 am

I wonder whether this stupidity is contributing in any way to the debacle in Iraq.

Publically funded staff in the Pentagon would be better off spending their time learning Arabic and familiarising themselves with the culture they are so ignorant of.