09 Nov 04
I just went to a talk by an author called Ziauddin Sardar, who'd writtem a book called "American Dream, Global Nightmare". The theme was basically that America is imperialist in the sense that it is crushing other countries culturally, economically and militarily and basically, as I understood it, in an indirect way, has terrorism coming to it. This theory is fairly mainstream in the UK, I think. There are lots of Americans on this site. I wonder if you all think there is anything to this theory?
10 Nov 04
Originally posted by smoochie51Nobody has terrorism coming to them in the sense that they deserve it. Terror perpetrated by states, organizations or individuals its always a bad thing that should be condemned.
I just went to a talk by an author called Ziauddin Sardar, who'd writtem a book called "American Dream, Global Nightmare". The theme was basically that America is imperialist in the sense that it is crushing other countries culturally, economically and militarily and basically, as I understood it, in an indirect way, has terrorism coming to it. This th ...[text shortened]... are lots of Americans on this site. I wonder if you all think there is anything to this theory?
However inexcusable as it be it can still be foreseeable, the background can be analysed an understood.
The western worlds (with the US in front ) ability and readyness to control the world economically, politically, militarily and culturally have created a strong opposition around the world. This is mainly expressed as a general mistrust ( nicely blended with envy and secret admiration) but also forms a potential basis for support to more extreme opposition to the west.
The rationale seems to be that the world is an unfair place, and since the west unarguably controls the world more than anybody else, the west is also responsible for the unfairness.
While the extremists that carry out the violence must be our main concern we should not be blind for the fact that they are the symptom of an underlying problem of a world divided between the have’s and the have-not’s. The irony in the situation is that the harder we come down on some groups of extremist while continuing to turn the blind eye on others the more people will be assured of the view that the west controls this unfair world.
As I said the rationale behind terror can be analysed but never excused and those like Ziauddin Sardar (apparently - I’ve never heard of him before) who try to excuse it and make it a viable alternative should be viewed with great concern. This way of thinking is equally responsible for the polarization of the world.
What is needed is solutions that deal with finding solutions that are acceptable to the world at large, and not just looks out for the interests of small groups. The west can not sit idle while threatened but when acting one should try to figure out how to avoid a spiral of action and counteraction.
10 Nov 04
2 edits
Originally posted by smoochie51And where is this Ziauddin Sarder from? He/she sounds like the editorialist for Al-Jazeera. Ok, if the world didn't love Hollywood so much, the crap that passes for entertainment these days would stay in America, where it belongs; same for music, McDonalds, KFC, etc...this is analogous to a 5 year-old (you people/world) that eats too many green plums(Hollywood,American culture) because he/she can't get enough of the worm-filled plums, and gets the $hits....well, pretty soon green plums are ver-botten (sic?). Economically?...finding ANYTHING made in the USA is getting harder by the day! Half the high-tech jobs are in India now! I admit that American culture has a lot to be desired, what with our humongous gas-guzzling SUVs being driven by people with cell phones growing out of their heads; banks, video stores, and Home Depots going up everywhere, eating up acres of environmentally sensitive niches, health care nonexistant for many, and Capitalists morons making $50,000,000 annually and evading jail sentences for embezzlement, while employees get a pink slip.
I just went to a talk by an author called Ziauddin Sardar, who'd writtem a book called "American Dream, Global Nightmare". The theme was basically that America is imperialist in the sense that it is crushing other countries culturally ...[text shortened]... site. I wonder if you all think there is anything to this theory?
Yeah, all this may be the reason why some think America has it coming to them in the form of terrorism, but that is still no reason to fly planes into the WTC. Mohammad Atta, the lead faux-pilot, was the ultimate hypocrite in terms of enjoying the 'American culture' by boozing and whoring weeks and days prior to his trip to 'paradise with its 70 virgins'...talk about wasted effort!...you say the theory is fairly 'mainstream in the UK?..what do these 'theorists' think GB has coming to her as she is assisting in the 'war on terror?
10 Nov 04
Wow, when I first read the title to this thread, I thought of an idea in macroeconomics called "American Dream, American Nightmare" which says that given stochastic shocks to peoples endowments and certain sufficient conditions on the nature of these shocks, every individual will be the richest in the economy at some point and the poorest at another.
Now carry on. I probably have things to say on the topic in this thread, but not right now.
10 Nov 04
Originally posted by chancremechanicIt may be very biblical "an eye for an eye" and "Fight fire with fire", but in reality it just serves to polarize situations.
And where is this Ziauddin Sarder from? He/she sounds like the editorialist for Al-Jazeera. Ok, if the world didn't love Hollywood so much, the crap that passes for entertainment these days would stay in America, where it belongs; same for music, McDonalds, KFC, etc...this is analogous to a 5 year-old (you people/world) that eats too many green plu ...[text shortened]... at do these 'theorists' think GB has coming to her as she is assisting in the 'war on terror?
Take a deep breath and read my dummies guide for creating world peace. I'm sure you will eventually agree with it.
Once you've bombed your way into everyone's disfavour, you will understand that maiming people doesn't make them like you and will not solve your problems.
10 Nov 04
Originally posted by smoochie51Just so we know what we're talking about.... Here's a definition of terrorism from dictionary.com
The theme was basically that America is imperialist in the sense that it is crushing other countries culturally, economically and militarily and basically, as I understood it, in an indirect way, has terrorism coming to it. This theory is fairly mainstream in the UK, I think.
'The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.'
Now compare that with what the u.s. and israel have been doing in recent years, especially in Latin America (not israel) and the Middle East, and everybody stop saying that plane crashers and car bombers are the only terrorists active. The u.s. act like terrorists for years, terrorists attack the u.s., the u.s. acts more like terrorists by engaging in illegal wars, also a terrorist act.
Terrible, stupid, obvious circle of events.
D