there is no simple, linear, "male answer" - there never was & never will be. secular "progressive" thought & action, esp. in the usa with its valuation of the individual, is a bigger threat to any patriarchal theocracy, aristocracy or military dictatorship, than anything else. yes, an individual not white american male can change the world, "progressive" western racism to the contrary. the secular pluralism & tolerance of the usa is almost on a different planet, obvious even when crossing our own physical borders with mexico & canada. i live in the western usa, the twin towers were built during my lifetime, the buildings didn't & don't symbolize anything "concrete" to me - quite the opposite. i live a life where i change & determine my own myths & symbols on an ongoing basis, & have no desire to cling to symbols & myths that prevent myself & others' from thinking for ourselves - like all the big patriarchal religions all over the world, eastern & western. don't any of you posting to the imc sites understand that you would be among the first to be killed by these movements because you actually believe you have the right to think? secularism, pluralism, tolerance (which can not & does not exist if you lay claim to following any monotheistic cult of personality, otherwise known as a religion), the free exchange of ideas - these are what are under attack, not some easily replaced "concrete" symbol, which isn't the essence, the idea of globalism, either beneficial or harmful, nor of the usa. they even attacked a part of the usa that is as international as the united nations, so they didn't just attack the usa, just one country. & it is so interesting that they didn't attack any media outlets, because they themselves rely on the global reach of the usa media (of course all the while denying such access to their followers.)

This strikes me as a rather dogmatic statement on behalf of tolerance and pluralism.

Historically, tolerance evolved in the modern West first as a matter of necessity in response to the Thirty Years War and similar religious strife in France and England. It took a century or more for tolerance to move from being seen as a necessary evil to positive virtue. It took even longer for tolerance to extend beyond the range of the major political factions, to include those of minor factions, and finally, those outside Christianity--including Deists, Jews and eventually even atheists. If tolerance were dependent on being "free" from religion, it wouldn't yet exist in the West.

XX wrote:

"...tolerance (which can not & does not exist if you lay claim to following any monotheistic cult of personality, otherwise known as a religion)..."

XX specifically addressed monotheism, which by their definitions of a "one & only way" to salvation or anything else, excludes tolerance. Forget whatever Western PR spin for Christianity or any other monotheistic belief system you have been swayed by - you can not follow a montheistic belief system & be tolerant. Read and listen and comprehend their (monotheistic belief systems) own words, this fundamental cornerstone can not be hidden.

I heard a Rabbi speak to this very subject, either on KPFK or KCRW, in December 2000. He was discussing how secular practices became Jewish holidays and such. He brought up that in recorded history there was no state religious intolerance under 'ancient' Empires such as Rome - these extended empires lasted so long because of religious and cultural tolerance, as well as trade. The rise of religious intolerance and imposition of patriarchal monotheistic belief systems in both the West and East was a contributing factor to the demise of these empires (and "a", if you have more comprehension trouble, means "one", not "the only", unlike monotheism in which there is "only the one".)

Goddess worship and ancient beliefs were either obliterated or twisted to the point that any 'goddess' references became attributed to a patriarchal god - the true "virgin birth", like males as single celled amoebas - and women, especially in history, ceased to exist, except as "ancient pagan myths".

It is very telling that you could only bring up examples from recent recorded Western history (and only British history at that) which disproves your point and proves XX's point. There were thousands and thousands of years of societies and practices and beliefs that included tolerance and goddesses and women that can not be discounted even if patriarchal monotheisms have tried and continue to try to "spin" reality and history to the contrary.