>"Please now, let's not spare the invectives shall we? Tell me what you really think!"

Heh heh.....funny SDAI.......touche`!

Of course, literacy and technological societies are on the ascending spiral of growth (at least for awhile it appears.....:~); however I was trying to point out that it is perfectly allright for a culture to live under different standards that WE would judge "lesser", "backward", etc....it's OUR judgement of the situation. I was just being the Devil's Advocate with my counterpoint.
I mean, can you imagine a horse making fun of a donkey because it doesn't move as fast?
Or a baracuda making fun of a sea bass because it doesn't have teeth?
Poor examples, but you get my drift.
Tom conceded. (thanks Tom)

>the masses and the religious fanatics have discarded western education as unnecessary and unwanted.

That's true, it's THEIR lives and their culture. Oh, did I mention we want to "help" them?
Is it really our decision to take out their leader and occupy their lands? (Oh wait......, countries have been doing that to other countries since time immemorial.....)

>"I have the greatest of compassion for the illiterate, but that does not mean I am going to let the culture, political leadership or religious doctrines which helped to foster this condition off the hook!"

ROTFLMAO.......riiiiiiight.
Well, you're really not snooty, and you're all really not bigots (I didn't really say that, did I??), but Larry called me a bigot last week for calling "born-again" Christians wierd (and he's agnostic!!), so I thought I'd take you on about your "unwashed" this or your unwashed that. I realize that this is just one of your favorite adjectives.
But it is a little snooty, ya know.

;~)