More Desolation
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The Washington Times is reporting on a car-bombing in Iraq. The target was the opening of a water pump station where many civilians, especially children, were present. Note well the reactions of the Iraqis. How does one argue with such absurd rationalizations?
Update: Mr. Hibbity Gibbity blogs eloquently about the situation in Iraq, summing up some reasons why I’m still not a pure libertarian yet. Also, I think that his position, while not related directly to this story, lends some great insights into why the Iraqis would think this way.
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3 Responses to “More Desolation”
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October 1st, 2004 at 3:18 pm
the reproter probably interviewed a slew of folks and quoted the ones that would fit his/her political agenda when writing the article.
Sad story.
October 1st, 2004 at 3:38 pm
Well, that may be true, although the Washington Times is very proud of its reputation as a conservative news outlet. It eschews the nonsense about “unbiased journalism”; instead, it attempts to report events as objectively and passionlessly as possible, without hiding their conservative bias. Their advertising is geared directly at the politically conservative demographic.
What is so fascinating is the warping of reason that has happened for the Iraqis to blame a car-bomb on the American military. This, to me, is a deeply revealing bit of data, and helps to explain why some of the country can laud our efforts, then turn around and immediately accuse us of being the beligerents.
I think MrHG’s post (see the update above) eloquently states why their thinking has become so twisted: They are used to betrayal and emotional manipulation. They have become cynical about even the most kind-hearted goodness and benevolence.
October 1st, 2004 at 5:05 pm
Actually, I do not think they are absurd rationalizations. Short-sighted and lacking in recall, but not absurd. The people committing these atrocious acts claim to be fighting the Americans. Therefore, if the Americans leave, these horrible things will stop happening to us. This is exactly the type of mindset one should expect of people who have been oppressed for decades. Keep your head down, don’t attract attention, don’t go against the powers that be and you will be okay. Its a short step from “they should leave so this will stop” to thinking “they won’t leave so they must want this to happen.” Of course, if we were to leave, then the people committing these atrocious acts would still be there and would most likely set up a government similar to Saddam’s if given the chance. Net gain: zero. What worries me is that this type of attitude means the terrorists are winning the hearts (or rather the fear) of the people. We are asking a people who have been taught to keep their heads down to start holding them up. We are fighting an uphill battle. I’m don’t envy anyone trying to unravel this mess.