I interviewed Ilan Sharon, a representative for the movie Obsession, a while back about the movie and his general thoughts on it. It was a good interview, and unfortunately we did not have the time to fully discuss what we wished. However, after the show, he pulled me aside and mentioned the "Island Hopping" theory he had about how brainwashed muslims couldn't link nor maintain consistent arguments, ergo, there really isn't any basis or rationale in their hatred for the US and the West, and it more or less boiled down to religious fanaticism that drove him.
The example he gave me was this;
"If you go up to a radical muslim and say, "what do you think about 9-11 and who brought the Towers down," the majority of them will say it was a conspiracy between the Jews and Bush to give them a reason to persecute muslims. "
But then ask them what they think about Osama Bid Laden and they say, "YEAH!!! Wasn't he great!! Did you see what he did to the Twin Towers!!???"
Another interesting example of sign of mental retardation is when a journalist (whose name escapes me now) interviewed some Lebanese muslims asking them what they thought about America.
"We hate it, we want to wage jihad against it, blah blah blah."
And then when he asked them, "Where would you like to live?"
"OH, we would love to live in America! It's free! Everybody is successful, you can do what you want!"
So, young junior, aspiring, and official deupty economists, can somebody explain these two pictures I've found?
And Lee Hamilton and his leftist likes think we can engage in "constructive dialogue" with these bipolar freaks?
Great.
Do you have a transcript/recording of your interview with Ilan Sharon somewhere?
ReplyDeleteThere really isn't much to add to your post there Captain.
ReplyDeleteThis planet is looking more and more like something out of science fiction horror flick.
A huge chunk of the planetary population has some sort of incurable envy-hate virus and the rest of us have some sort of fear-of-hurting-their-feelings virus.
The tale of two virus'
I can't explain the first photo, but the second one seems to be saying that Judaism equals Buddhism (judging from the left-facing swastika). What that's supposed to mean is anyone's guess.
ReplyDeleteYes, extremists of all types are scary, it doesn't matter if they are the Islamic type or the of the Operation Rescue/Christian Coalition/Pat Roberson type, but I would like to point out that just as most Christians are nice people and do not go around shooting abortion doctors, there are many excellent, peaceful followers of Islam out there. NOT ALL OF THEM ARE EXTREMISTS! (In addition, not everybody who is from the Middle East or is of Middle Eastern decent is Muslim.)
ReplyDeleteJunam
Agreed Junam. My mechanic was a muslim, work with a muslim now. Both very nice and kind people. But when 13% of British muslims endorse OBL, then there's reason for heightened concern and skepticism that more than 1 in ten muslims want you dead. And that's where this fear is rationalized.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't noticed the swastika.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they also lean to the left.
HAR HAR HAR!!!
Captain,
ReplyDeleteThe "Island Hopping" example sounds a lot like a piece from Micheal Totten I read a while back.
He has a piece "Hanging With Hezbollah" that captures a very similar sentiment. Well worth the read.
This quote is a written in first person so "I" refers to Micheal Totten. He's talking to a group of teenage Hezbollah supporters. The last two paragraphs provide some insight into their mindset.
QUOTE
“We don’t hate the American people, only the government.”
“Okay,” I said. “So why then does Hassan Nasrallah repeatedly say Death to America?” I asked these questions in the most friendly and casual tone of voice I could muster.
“He only means death to the American government.”
“Why doesn’t he make that clear then?” I said.
“He does!”
“No, he doesn’t,” I said. “He says Death to America. What would you think of George W. Bush if he gave speeches where he screamed Death to Lebanon? Come on, guys. Be honest with me. I want to know what you really think.”
“I want to go to America,” the leader kid said. “I love America and I want to live in America. America is rich and free. I want to be rich and free, too.”
I think the kid was sincere. His politics are a product of Hezbollah’s schools, his community, and his peer group. But politics in the Middle East isn’t as personal as it often is in the West, in part because Middle Easterners are accustomed to having their politics dictated to them by the powerful. Politicians are usually above accountability and beyond control of the people. They assume that’s how it is in the Western countries as well.
Street-level anti-Americanism is sometimes more moderate, complicated, and contradictory than it appears from far away. There is often a vast gulf separating those in the Arab world who incite anti-Americanism and those who more passively go along with it. The difference in temperament between Hezbollah’s bullying agents and the kids who showed me around are just one example.
/QUOTE