Bitch Slapping Arabs: Too much of a good thing?

[Ed]

Given that Arab society is a male dominated one I have to wonder, as others have on other threads, what the impact is of their unmitigated failure at things macho.

Their armies fold like the French. The Jews kick their butt at will. Two of their countries were taken in a heartbeat. Most recently, we have seen the uber bully Saddam, proponent of other people's suicides, give up looking like a beggar when, for the sake of propriety, he should have at least killed himself.

Though I would certainly not have had it any other way, recently, even I am a bit embarassed for them.

The question is: How will these events inform their psyches? Are we seeing the effects now, in Iraq and elsewhere, with terrorist bombings? Consider el Quida and Iraq, what do they want? Nothing that is clear to anyone (except the usual maunderings of US bashers). There is no "leader". There are no demands. Are they, in effect, saying "we are not deballed"? I hope not since that way lies genocide. Should we worry about this to the extent that we win without winning, as it were? The core of the issue is the title of this thread "Bitch Slapping Arabs: Too much of a good thing?"

[The Don]

Most probably "they" will look upon the west as teh means by which they are being oppressed. Through no fault of the United States (who, after all has only being protecting her borders by invading a country 7,000 miles away) will be identified as the source of the great Satan.

In their usual sneaky foreign way they will identify soft targets (such as civilians) and explode suicide bombs and so forth.

As usual, the US will not understand why they were being targeted

[Ed]

Originally posted by The Don
(who, after all has only being protecting her borders by invading a country 7,000 miles away)


Whether or not Iraq is a good idea, it certainly seems sensible (as you imply) to protect one's borders on someone elses soil.

[corplinx]

I think arabs should learn about what machismo means from mexicans:

wearing a tank top and driving a car with hydraulics


Obviously this would be preferable to suicide bombings.

[Tony]

Originally posted by corplinx
I think arabs should learn about what machismo means from mexicans:

wearing a tank top and driving a car with hydraulics





:dl:

[Luke T.]

This it the third time I have seen someone associate Hussein's surrender without firing a shot to a humiliation of Arabs. What gives? What incredible bald stereotyping!

What an image some people have of all Arabs. Its very sad.

Picture this. Adolf Hitler sends out young boys to defend Berlin in the final days of the European theater in World War Two. Then, when the enemy is closing in, Hitler doesn't fight. He commits suicide.

Oh, what an embarassment for white people everywhere! How humiliating! This just goes to show what hypocritical wimps they really are.

Bizarre thinking going on here.

[Tony]

Originally posted by Luke T.
This it the third time I have seen someone associate Hussein's surrender without firing a shot to a humiliation of Arabs.


But that's how most of the Muslim world has reacted to the news.

[Luke T.]

Originally posted by Tony



But that's how most of the Muslim world has reacted to the news.

Bull.

[Troll]

Originally posted by Luke T.


Bull.

A lot of them have reacted that way.

The director of one of the Arab news networks was on Msnbc or Fox last night and stated as much, as did footage of the Palestinians. It's early for me and I'll provide names later after I get rid of all this freaking snow. But most would have rather seen him go out in a blaze of glory than to shame them all by cowardly surrendering, even though most are also glad he's gone, again with the exception of the Palestinians

[Luke T.]

Originally posted by Troll


A lot of them have reacted that way.

The director of one of the Arab news networks was on Msnbc or Fox last night and stated as much, as did footage of the Palestinians. It's early for me and I'll provide names later after I get rid of all this freaking snow. But most would have rather seen him go out in a blaze of glory than to shame them all by cowardly surrendering, even though most are also glad he's gone, again with the exception of the Palestinians

This does not mean they were personally humiliated. It means they are derisive of Saddam. Nothing more. They are making fun of him just like us. With the exception of some Palistinians, who certainly don't make up a majority of Arabs.

Like I said before, the only people who feel humiliated are the ones who should.

[Hexxenhammer]

Originally posted by Luke T.


Bull.
St. Cloud State University here in MN has an Iraqi professor who has been on NPR locally a lot. He hated Saddam with a passion but he still said that when he saw the pictures of Saddam being examined by an Army doctor he felt a twinge of humiliation. He knew it was ridiculous, but he felt it anyway.

[Hypocolius]

Originally posted by Troll


A lot of them have reacted that way.


Not in my experience. I live in the middle East (Sharjah in the UAE), and I found out about Saddam from a Pakistani taxi driver who was rather excited about the news, and not concentrating on where he was going BTW! I also teach Arab men, in every class I've had today (4 in total) the general mood has been extremely light-hearted and full of "he got what he deserved" type comments. I know this is a small sample, but its probably more Arabs than most people on this board meet in a year, so I feel qualified to comment. OK the Palestinians might not be overly chuffed, but guess what, they are a very small cog in the wheel that is the Middle East.

[American]

How is an Arab American supposed to feel when he reads that title? I despise political correctness more than anyone, and I also agree with the premise of this thread.

However, do be a tad more sensitive. We need the good Arabs on our side in order to kill and capture the bad ones.

[Troll]

Originally posted by Hypocolius


Not in my experience. I live in the middle East (Sharjah in the UAE), and I found out about Saddam from a Pakistani taxi driver who was rather excited about the news, and not concentrating on where he was going BTW! I also teach Arab men, in every class I've had today (4 in total) the general mood has been extremely light-hearted and full of "he got what he deserved" type comments. I know this is a small sample, but its probably more Arabs than most people on this board meet in a year, so I feel qualified to comment. OK the Palestinians might not be overly chuffed, but guess what, they are a very small cog in the wheel that is the Middle East.

Cool. Glad to hear it. all I had to go on was .......dum dum dum......the media coverage. :o

[Larspeart]

Originally posted by Ed



Whether or not Iraq is a good idea, it certainly seems sensible (as you imply) to protect one's borders on someone elses soil.

Damn! I like that!

[DanishDynamite]

Ed:Their armies fold like the French. The Jews kick their butt at will. Two of their countries were taken in a heartbeat. Ed, statements of this type don't help to dispell the idea that the US is full of arrogant, triggerhappy cowboys who are ignorant of the world while claiming to fight for freedom, democracy and the idea that "all men are created equal".
Though I would certainly not have had it any other way, recently, even I am a bit embarassed for them.Why? Why would you be embarrased?
The question is: How will these events inform their psyches? Whose psyches? The Arabs? The Jews? Or some other generalization or stereotype?
Are we seeing the effects now, in Iraq and elsewhere, with terrorist bombings? Consider el Quida and Iraq, what do they want? We know what the terroist organizartion Al Queda wants. What do you mean when you ask what Iraq wants?
Nothing that is clear to anyone (except the usual maunderings of US bashers). There is no "leader". There are no demands.Exactly. Your generalization of Arabs as a concrete entity is as stupid as declaring war on Terrorism.
Are they, in effect, saying "we are not deballed"?I don't know. Who is "they"?
I hope not since that way lies genocide. Should we worry about this to the extent that we win without winning, as it were? The core of the issue is the title of this thread "Bitch Slapping Arabs: Too much of a good thing?" The core of this thread is utter bollocks.

[Supercharts]

I am certainly no expert or authority on the Muslim Semite mind-set in terms of how they understand a secular government. However, I keep reading about being a martyr and perceive that they have a sense of doom – both issues seems a very strong part of their religion and culture – especially in the Shi’a sect.
Muslims elsewhere – Egypt, Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia, for example – don’t seem to feel this way. But they do submit to a very strong secular authority. “Submission to the Law” and to Allah’s will is taken literally.
Like everyone else Muslims will look up to and follow a strong leader. However Democratic principles and individual freedoms seem not to be very important to them.
Attaturk (sp?) along with Sadat and Mahathir promoted modernization into a secular form of government by minimizing the theocratic influence of the Muslim clergy. They were not tribal based governments as in the Middle East.
What we in the West refer to, as “Arab”, are many tribal constructs of a strong leader who works the issues of relations, family, culture with a rejection of any secular centralized government that could weaken their authority. It is rule by Mafia. It is rule by teaching fear of outsiders and total loyalty to the ‘family’.

The idea of a united strong “Arab” army that has real power is a dream. It’s as if the “five families” in N.Y.C. could consolidate into one. It will not happen because of the culture, the history of feuds, murders, and turf wars over the last 80 years. Only in the Arab culture it goes back nearly a thousand.

[a_unique_person]

If we are going to be talking in pure terms of who is the best bitch slapper, Osama wins hands down with 9/11. If you want to debate at a higher level than that, feel free.

[Mycroft]

Originally posted by a_unique_person
If we are going to be talking in pure terms of who is the best bitch slapper, Osama wins hands down with 9/11. If you want to debate at a higher level than that, feel free.

What, you don't think a couple of regime changes beat a few buildings? Granted they were important buildings, but more important than a couple of foreign governments?

[The Fool]

Sigh. If only America had declared war on ********........

[T'ai Chi]

Originally posted by The Don
Most probably "they" will look upon the west as teh means by which they are being oppressed. Through no fault of the United States (who, after all has only being protecting her borders by invading a country 7,000 miles away) will be identified as the source of the great Satan.


Hey being Satan is hard work.

[karl]

Originally posted by Ed

[...] Most recently, we have seen the uber bully Saddam, proponent of other people's suicides, give up looking like a beggar when, for the sake of propriety, he should have at least killed himself.

Though I would certainly not have had it any other way, recently, even I am a bit embarassed for them.

The question is: How will these events inform their psyches?

They won't. Not surprisingly, all sorts of convenient explanations are already being invented, as a defense mechanism. Saddam's sister theorized, in an interview in the London-based newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi, that his undramatic surrender was due to the Americans using some form of nerve gas or drugs on him.

[Luke T.]

Originally posted by The Fool
Sigh. If only America had declared war on ********........

Well, by your way of thinking, if we had, that would just provoke more of it, and why would you want that.......?