Anti-Islaam Film

[goDel]

An opinion piece which uses statistics (horribly) as a foundation for a (poor) opinion (namely:Instead, the citizens of many Middle Eastern Countries have a less favourable view of the US today than when George Bush was president.) Also note how this reads as factual information, instead of opinion.

 

I disagree with his read of the "facts". That doesn;t make it necessary in any way for me to have an opinion based on these "facts" as well. (other than: you can't draw any meaningful conclusions from these statistics...an opinion which I have given a number of times by now).

 

Please go to sleep. It's bedtime on this side of the planet as well, btw.

[syd syside]

An opinion piece which uses statistics (horribly) as a foundation for a (poor) opinion (namely:Instead, the citizens of many Middle Eastern Countries have a less favourable view of the US today than when George Bush was president.) Also note how this reads as factual information, instead of opinion.

 

I disagree with his read of the "facts". That doesn;t make it necessary in any way for me to have an opinion based on these "facts" as well. (other than: you can't draw any meaningful conclusions from these statistics...an opinion which I have given a number of times by now).

 

Please go to sleep. It's bedtime on this side of the planet as well, btw.

 

I already explained that if we read the statistics as a wash, it'd still hold true with his prior statement that Obama hasn't improved the situation in the middle east. He then goes into reasons why that might be, which have to do with perceptions from Americans and the Middle East. I don't get what is so horrid about this kind of conclusion and you don't seem to suggest any possible explanation for why Anti-Americanism hasn't gone down other than something to do with the Financial Crisis which I haven't seen any evidence to suggest that would increase anti-American sentiment significantly. So the balls in your court. This is a complex issue, his job is to "try" and make sense of it. You seem to suggest that even trying is horrid because you haven't shown evidence to counter his assertions.

 

I have to remain awake to fix my sleep clock. So I will be here all night baby.

[syd syside]

To maybe wrap this up? Here's your original response:

 

I think this is a horrid misread of why the government acted the way it did. It's intentions should be explained from a diplomatic point-of-view instead of the blatant "they didn't ask for an outright ban, but their intentions were obvious". Well, apparently not that obvious for your friend to understand what might actually be going on. I'd argue the opposite. It was, and still is, never the intention of the government to downright ban the video. The video is the last thing on their mind, imo. Safety would be the first. Diplomatic (read: economic/strategic) relationships in the Middle East the second.

 

If the video is the last thing on their mind and diplomatic and safety were first then shouldn't their statements been more focused on something akin to this:

 

1) What measures were being taken to protect U.S. lives at our consulates and embassies across the world;

2) What he thinks the origins of the current conflagrations have been (hint: saying it's a YouTube clip would be a radically incomplete and dishonest answer);

3) Why the United States needs to maintain an active diplomatic, security and commercial presence in the region;

4) What the United States government needs to start doing differently in order to best advance our interests in the region.

 

Now, obviously, this speech would have to be crafted with an eye towards the region as well -- which is both the beauty and the challenge of it.

 

Instead we got this:

 

This is a fairly volatile situation and it is in response not to United States policy, not to obviously the administration, not to the American people,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday. “It is in response to a video, a film that we have judged to be reprehensible and disgusting. That in no way justifies any violent reaction to it, but this is not a case of protests directed at the United States writ large or at U.S. policy. This is in response to a video that is offensive to Muslims

 

Which is better in your opinion?

[syd syside]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19687386

 

A Pakistani government minister has offered a $100,000 reward for the death of the maker of an anti-Islam film produced in the US.

 

Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour told the Associated Press (AP) that he would pay the reward for the "sacred duty" out of his own pocket.

 

He suggested the Taliban and al-Qaeda would be eligible for the reward.

 

His comments came a day after at least 20 people died in clashes between anti-film protesters and police.

 

The violence occurred in cities throughout the country, with Karachi and Peshawar among the worst hit.

 

The film, denigrating Islam's Prophet Muhammad, has sparked violent protests throughout the Muslim world in recent weeks.

 

Scores of people were reported to have been injured on Saturday in a clash in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka between police and hundreds of demonstrators.

 

 

AP reports that police fired tear gas and used batons to disperse stone-throwing protesters who set several vehicles alight.

 

This is getting ridiculous

[lumpenprol]

You know, I'm starting to think this has nothing to do with a specific provocation, or years of US misuse of power in the region. I bet they're just angry there aren't more Arabs (positively portrayed) in hollywood. Re-boot "Friends" with an all-Arab cast and I bet we'd have world peace. We could all bond over the scene where Ross gives Monica a clitoridectomy when she's passed out, the scene where Chandler is caught fucking a goat, and the scene where Phoebe is stoned to death for her cat song.

[Salvatorin]

I'd watch that shit

[goDel]

Compson, you posting menace! I just got out of bed and will be at work for the entire day. But I'll do a Schwarzenegger and see what I can contribute besides shooting bullets in knees and having lame oneliners.

 

/austrian accent

[awepittance]

Tommy Wiseau would be proud, because if these protests are really over this video they might as well be protesting over The Room