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Just a few thoughts, please read (pg. 3)
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| Clovis86 |
| quote: | Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
Spot on.
What the hell is wrong with the world? The Middle East is a hot-bed (no change there) and there's some vague threats that an Asian country or two haven't heard of MAD. However, just because America had war (albeit a terrorist attack) occur on her soil for the first time in about 150 years...
WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE. |
With the idiot we have in office, the can hit the fan anytime. |
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| Cobalt |
| quote: | Originally posted by Aquarian
Stop watching CNN so much?
Everybody thinks their time is the most epic, the most important. Truth is, the world is doing relatively pretty well right now. There's been far worse conflicts by the thousands where millions were killed. The problem is that today we're bombarded with all this gloomy information, and it gives people (especially americans such as yourself) the impression that the world is falling apart around them. You drive home from work and turn on the radio and all you hear about is how many people got killed in iraq today, then you get home, flip on your TV and you hear about a terrorist plot to blow up airliners, so you go on the internet and your homepage has a bunch of links about terrorism, iraq, etcetera. You're a prime example of the effects of the "culture of fear" that sociologists often talk about. Without realizing it, you end up viewing the world through the lens of pessimistic media. It affects how people lead their lives, and it affects how people make their decisions. It's no coincidence that so many americans keep firearms for protection and vote for extremely conservative leaders. |
Ding.
The Middle East looked a lot worse during the Intifada, when dozens and dozens of Israelis were being blown up on the way to work or while eating pizza. And let's not even touch on the many full-scale offenses and counter-offenses that happened before that. Relatively speaking, the lid is still on the pot, and peace is more viable in the Middle East today than it has been for a long while. I think what's happening in Lebanon is terrible and wrong in many ways, but it certainly doesn't mean the sky is falling.
It's worth remembering that a higher percentage of humanity lives under stable democracies today than at any time in history. If I lived during the Cold War 50s, I'd be ting bricks every other night. |
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| Clovis86 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cobalt
Ding.
The Middle East looked a lot worse during the Intifada, when dozens and dozens of Israelis were being blown up on the way to work or while eating pizza. And let's not even touch on the many full-scale offenses and counter-offenses that happened before that. Relatively speaking, the lid is still on the pot, and peace is more viable in the Middle East today than it has been for a long while. I think what's happening in Lebanon is terrible and wrong in many ways, but it certainly doesn't mean the sky is falling.
It's worth remembering that a higher percentage of humanity lives under stable democracies today than at any time in history. If I lived during the Cold War 50s, I'd be ting bricks every other night. |
The problem is, as we've seen recently, something like 9/11 is still on the brink of occuring...I'm pretty sure it will happen, its just a question of when. Our War on Terror isnt solving . |
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| Cobalt |
| quote: | Originally posted by Clovis86
The problem is, as we've seen recently, something like 9/11 is still on the brink of occuring...I'm pretty sure it will happen, its just a question of when. Our War on Terror isnt solving . |
This is true.
No amount of troops will kill an ideology spawned of religious fanaticism. I don't know the answer.
I used to think it was a symptom of poverty, and that focus on third-world development would help things. I still think that's a good idea, because huge gaps between societies are dangerous and destablizing. But most of the Islamic fundamentalists we've witnessed come from relatively middle-class or even well-to-do backgrounds. And the Middle East isn't the poorest region in the world either; you don't see many terrorists from subsaharan Africa or Bangladesh.
I don't know how it will resolve, but my point is that it's not any kind of existential crisis as Fascism or Communism presented, and that the world is generally less bloody now than it has ever been before. |
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| MrJiveBoJingles |
| quote: | | And the Middle East isn't the poorest region in the world either; you don't see many terrorists from subsaharan Africa or Bangladesh. |
I dunno, it is pretty hard to describe what happened in Rwanda in the mid '90s as anything but "terror," and there were certainly many people involved in that. For a more recent example:
Check it
These people aren't flying planes into American buildings and all but -- damn. Notice the name of the murderous troops, though: "Lord's Resistance Army."
All these sick pieces of crap always seem to be doing the bidding of some "lord" or other. |
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| isthatacow2 |
| quote: | Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
Hawaii is thousands of miles from the mainland- it's hardly striking close to home for most of the 280 million American people. I doubt there'd be a climate of fear if America was attacked by a geographical technicality- Pearl Harbour was just attacking an American military base in the Pacific to most people. |
not quite. america was set in its way to stay an isolationist society while hitler was in europe up. once Japan bombed pearl harbor, america was outraged(when it wasnt even a state). America was in pissed. very similar to 9/11. we went to war immediately after pearl harbor.
"just attacking an american military base in the pacific?"
not even close.
try again. |
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| Allied Nations |
| What you fail to realize, is that these people are as passionate about their cause as you are yours. |
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| Clovis86 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Allied Nations
What you fail to realize, is that these people are as passionate about their cause as you are yours. |
I think they are more so. |
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| qussay |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cobalt
This is true.
No amount of troops will kill an ideology spawned of religious fanaticism. I don't know the answer.
I used to think it was a symptom of poverty, and that focus on third-world development would help things. I still think that's a good idea, because huge gaps between societies are dangerous and destablizing. But most of the Islamic fundamentalists we've witnessed come from relatively middle-class or even well-to-do backgrounds. And the Middle East isn't the poorest region in the world either; you don't see many terrorists from subsaharan Africa or Bangladesh.
I don't know how it will resolve, but my point is that it's not any kind of existential crisis as Fascism or Communism presented, and that the world is generally less bloody now than it has ever been before. |
^
Islam needs better representation, in order to show to the world , how beautifuly comprehensive it is ! This should be focused on from day one at high schools , to PHD level teaching.
A Good example is Hamza Yusuf
Also , the stero-types about arabs and muslims in general should be erased from people's minds ( erase might be a fantasy , but at least reconsidered), along with equality on all levels , from the media , to the help and aid given from the west , to foreign policies etc ... There is alot of pressure on arabs/muslims !
The west must ask itself , why do those people hate us so much ?
These are indeed hard times , especially to the people in the middle east , but after the darkest hour of the night , comes the dawn !
:p |
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| SYSTEM-J |
| quote: | Originally posted by isthatacow2
not quite. america was set in its way to stay an isolationist society while hitler was in europe up. once Japan bombed pearl harbor, america was outraged(when it wasnt even a state). America was in pissed. very similar to 9/11. we went to war immediately after pearl harbor.
"just attacking an american military base in the pacific?"
not even close.
try again. |
America was pissed because Japan had attempted to knock out America's military presence in the Pacific, allowing her expansion in the region to continue without opposition. The fact that the US were lucky and the aircraft carrier fleet were out on manoeuvres was the only thing that stopped it actually happening.
It wasn't an attack on a civilian target and it offered no direct threat to the American people. It was an attack on a military target thousands of miles away for strategic reasons. Which has happened countless times in countless wars. It isn't something to strike fear into the heart of the average citizen- it's a fair game military target in the middle of the ocean.
Whatever you're trying to do by linking Pearl Harbour to 9/11, they're totally different scenarios. People don't give a when stuff happens thousands of miles away. The IRA bombed the out of the UK many times, commmiting some horrific atrocities. Nobody in America gave a - in fact, there have been things to suggest that the Irish-American community supported terrorism against the UK. Nobody gives a when millions are massacred in Africa or South-East Asia. Nobody gives a when several Arabic countries declare war on Israel simultaneously on a holy day. But as soon as some American people die doing their everyday life on American soil, everyone is terrified because, for the first time in living memory, they could die and so could people they know who aren't just soldiers who volunteered to go into battle.
Terrorism is nothing new. Middle Eastern conflict is nothing new. Nuclear threat is nothing new. People around the world have had to live with one or more for decades now. But it's only when America has tasted it on a proper scale that they actually start caring, and making bull panicky hippy threads on TA. |
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| paranoik0 |
just a curiosity, wtf has terrorism to do with the subjectivity of music? |
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| Belgian Bonzai |
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<--- peace and unity through science, technology and music |
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