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Rhetoric
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| George Smiley |
Just a quick something for you all to think about!
Time and time again it comes up in this forum about such-and-such group said this, such-and-such leader said that, and those words are taken as proof of what these groups/leaders are trying to achieve.
Now let me ask you this...
Do you believe 100% of what any of our politicians tell you? My PM is Tony Blair for God's sake!!! Politicians tend to be the most untrusted people in society by the population. They promise this, promise that, and fail to deliver every time. They tell blatent lies to achieve things the population would not support. We all know this, and I suspect the vast majority of us distrust (or at least take with a pinch of salt!) what politicians tell us. So...
Why do we believe as gospel the words of fundamentalist polticians in Iran or Palestine or wherever more than we believe the words of our own politicians?!
Like I said, something for you to think about!
;) |
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| Fir3start3r |
Our new PM Stephen Harper is actually doing what he said he would.
He's pushing the envelope man! :haha: |
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| Psy-T |
| i'd assume dictators have less reasons to lie, for one. |
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| George Smiley |
| quote: | Originally posted by Psy-T
i'd assume dictators have less reasons to lie, for one. |
Less reason?!?! |
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| Fir3start3r |
| quote: | Originally posted by George Smiley
Less reason?!?! |
There certainly are less opponents! :toothless |
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| Psy-T |
| quote: | Originally posted by George Smiley
Less reason?!?! |
vocal promises : lies
silent threats : ?
:p |
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| Renegade |
I'm not really sure what you're arguing here. When Ahmadinejad (or any other Middle-Eastern leader of a similar persuasion) says he wants Isreal "wiped off the map", is he using his political nous to play up to the widespread anti-Isreali sentiment within Iran? Without a doubt. When a world leader says something that provocative about a neighbouring nation, should we dismiss it as mere "rhetoric"? I don't think that would be wise.
I agree that we shouldn't be panicking just because some bat insane dictator somewhere has said something controversial - and we certainly shouldn't be driven to fear or paranoia over such sentiments (this is, afterall, exactly the result they hope to acheive in the first place) - but when you're dealing with people this unhinged, you can't just sit back and hope that they won't follow through on such outrageous threats. Ultimately, to assume that politicians are always disingenuous is no more rational a perspective than to assume that politicians are always telling the truth. |
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| George Smiley |
Why do people constantly harp on about Ahmadinejad being insane?
:conf: |
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| Renegade |
| quote: | Originally posted by George Smiley
Why do people constantly harp on about Ahmadinejad being insane?
:conf: |
Holocaust denial = instant insanity. Everything else is subsidiary.
Also, all politicians are congenitally insane. Haven't you heard anything by Pink Floyd? :conf: |
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| George Smiley |
| quote: | Originally posted by Renegade
Holocaust denial = instant insanity. Everything else is subsidiary.
Also, all politicians are congenitally insane. Haven't you heard anything by Pink Floyd? :conf: |
Ok ok my question was off topic and irrelevent...
Why do we take as gospel the word of politicians we oppose, yet distrust the words of our own politicians? |
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| George Smiley |
And!
Why is it that when Ahmadinejad says he wants to "wipe Israel off the map" we believe him, yet when he says "we only want civilian nuclear power" we believe he is lying?! |
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| Psy-T |
| renegade's first post here answers both questions quite well :conf: |
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