| i think a lot of people here are angry because it seems that america chooses not to listen to the arabs, and that the bush administration is seemingly telling the arabs what they want.
a fair notion. but let me introduce an example to you which may make you see it from a different perspective.
brainwashing is an amazing technique. within days, sometimes even hours, you have essentially taken control of a human. that kind of power is unmatched.
allow me to introduce an example.
my mother met a man who wasn't much better than saddam about 2 years ago. he was a maniac. he would take her into the bedroom and yell at her because she wasn't 'strict' enough with me and my little brother. he would punish me for no reason, and also his own son who moved in with us. he would us constantly that we were creating a 'disugsuting and foul christian atmosphere in [our] home' [he was a devout christian...which is funny because at the time he was with my mother he was still married with 2 other kids. a true christian]. if anyone disobeyed him, he would call us 'shameful' and he also called me a '****ing idiot' once because i suggested that he was one of those people who is always angry with the world.
after a while, my mother became convinced that what he was doing was actually the right thing. 'he's creating some stability for this family' she would say. eventually, when i would insult him in front of her, she would get defensive, saying 'you may hate him but i love him and i'am sorry that you do not see the good in him.'
he forced her to go to church [when she thought the idea of god was laughable beforehand], and a lot of other things. she would maintain this was 'good for us.'
he made her stop seeing all her friends, because they were 'very unpleasant and sinners.' at first, she told me this was insulting and sick of him. months later, she said 'well he's sort of right you know, all they do is go out and party.'
this is an important step in brainwashing. when you force it into someone so much, that they become an echo for you, and then start manipulating aspects to fit your views by themselves. you no longer have to even say anything.
of course, when he would leave, she would begin to drink heavily sit and weep. i would tell her every day she has to leave him, but all she would say is 'i can't...i'am scared of how he will react, and who else is going to be there for me.'
this is exactly what is happening in most middle eastern countries. the people there are scared, because their leaders have convinced them that they cannot survive without them, and that anyone who tries to take their power away will cause great damage to the people. unfortunately, this is not true. the reason it isn't true is because these are intelligent people with an intellectual capacity much higher than most europeans or americans who have the ability to rule themselves. they're not cavemen who make monkey noises at each other.
dictators have forced this idea so much that the people no longer need to hear it, everything they see is from a skewed perspective, and everything they hear goes through a filter which favors the dictator's views.
think about how many people in iraq did not welcome the troops, and refused to go anywhere near them or show signs of happiness because they feared they would be killed for being 'unpatriotic.'
that certainly changed after the coalition entered baghdad.
however, that doesn't mean i think we should start occupying other middle eastern countries. in fact, until the palestinian/israeli conflict is on a secure path to solution, and other arabs see the results of iraqi's new prosperous life, we better take it easy.
just wait. iraq will serve as a solid example for the middle east. people will begin to realize that, as saddam, their dictators are full of absolute and complete ****. then you will begin to hear the many drowned voices of this region demanding the same opportunity to have rights, freedoms, and political representation. | |
