Mistral, I appreciate your attempt to understand the mindset of another
culture, especially when it's the culture of an enemy, but in your analysis
which was overall well-meant I sense some (probably unconscious) arrogance
and self-deceit to which I have to react.
>
>If one reflects that (1) the terrorists consider themselves at war with
>the West generally, and the US specifically; (2) the entire idea of
>non-combatants in war is both very recent historically, and Western in
>origin; (3) certain traditional cultural views in the Mideast are
>particularly bloodthirsty [also please note that I am not making any
>particular moral judgements about bloodthirstiness] it should not be
>difficult to grasp the idea that a certain segment of the Arab world
>would not only approve but celebrate these events. It does not make them
>sick; it simply indicates they are not Westernized.
One of the things which disgusts me about my people, Serbs, is their
hypocrisy. Always prattling about Croatian crimes, Muslim crimes, American
crimes, never mentioning the horrible crimes they themselves have commited.
Seeing a speck in their brother's eye, not seeing the trunk in their own
eye. Never willing to look in the mirror and see the truth's ugly face.
Dear Western friends, please don't behave the same way. To say that Arabs
are cruel and prone to kill non-combatants because they are not Westernized
is total nonsense. In the last century the governments of the civilized
Western world have commited numerous crimes, killed appaling number of
people and used weapons of devastating power over innocent civilians.
Certain politeness and hypocrisy in expression and the fact that one doesn't
gloat publicly over the enemy's death don't change the essence of things. If
an air raid is called 'humanitarian intervention', cluster bombs and
depleted uranium still fall on people's heads. If one 'services a target',
he still kills people. Women and children haven't stopped dying just because
they are referred to as 'co-lateral victims'. Please let us not forget that
the masters of war are fucking bastards regardless of their cultural
differences.
I hope people from US don't get me wrong. I was horrified by the events in
your country. I was especially shocked by the sight of Arab children
rejoicing and I don't think any cultural peculiarity can justify teaching
children to hate. I feel deeply sorry for your loss and hope all of you who
read this and your families and friends are safe and well. And on this note
let me finish this hasty post written with too much adrenaline in blood. I
hope I didn't insult anyone.
Natasa