MICKEY Z.: Why "They" Hate Us

[Tace]

Mickey Z. -- World News Trust

Journalist I.F. Stone put it succinctly: "Every government is run by liars and nothing they say should be believed." In my lifetime, I've seen absolutely nothing to prove him wrong. For example, when the most recent alleged terror plot was announced, President George W. Bush dutifully trotted out this old favorite: "There are people that still plot and people who want to harm us for what we believe in."

People want to harm us "for what we believe in." Repeat it often enough and it's bound to convince somebody, I guess... but is there really anyone out there who actually buys this line of reasoning? If so, please raise your hand because I'd love to meet you. I'd love to ask you: What exactly do "we" believe in and why would it motivate anyone to take down a commercial airliner?

We're told it's our freedoms that irk so many people, but does anyone truly assume that some of our fellow earthlings are motivated to plot and sometimes commit mass murder simply because we have the Spice Network? C'mon, if you're looking to get on someone's nerves, surely you can conjure up something far more infuriating.

Start by maintaining a massive nuclear arsenal. Next, make sure you're the only country to ever use such weapons in battle (on civilians, no less). Finally, go around threatening any country (except Israel, Pakistan, and India) that even contemplates starting a nuclear program. If you want to get someone irate enough to blow themselves up and take a whole lot of folks with them, you could drop bombs on their babies on a regular basis or enforce sanctions that kill a half-million kids and then brag about it on "60 Minutes." That would likely result in more than enough anger to provoke at least a declaration of war.

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[azurnoir]

1. Great post

"they" don't hate us for our freedoms; they hate us for what our freedoms cost them.

[Jade Fox]

2. We are so willfully ignorant of our enemies motives.....

in this "War on Terror", that in saner times it would be a national embarrassment.

As it is, we have allowed certified idiots making school-yard level claims about Islamo-Fascists Who Just Hate Us For Our Freedoms And Are Really Really Bad And Evil to be given credibility. C'mon folks, these are just people. We should want to know why they would choose to die as a suicide bomber rather than live as anything, without writing it off to ignorant claims about their religion.

Of course, a de-humanized enemy is an enemy easier to kill. And the idea they want to "harm us for what we believe in" conveniently makes us the victim, even as we are killing them. Some three thousand people died an unimaginably horrible death on 9/11. We have now caused the deaths of many times that, many of them children. Yet Bush still wants us to feel victimized.

Sorry if I'm ranting a bit here. This topic gets me going.

[Igel]

3. What are the answers that people come up with when

they ask, "Why do we hate them?"

Not that each and every person hates "them" in any given situation. But certainly some do, otherwise the situations wouldn't occur. But whenever the US mucks about in another region, it seems that people assume some set of Americans are engaged in hate.

The presumption is that the "other" must have reasonable, valid excuses and justifications for *their* hate (since the question, "Why do they hate us?" is typically taken to be a reasonable one).

I don't see why Americans are any worse or better than the "others" when it comes to their hate.

I also seldom see others asking, "Why does America hate us?" Everybody else always assumes they're right, and introspection is not only not needed, but somehow wrong.

Asymmetries fascinate me. (Chomsky's great contribution to linguistics. With Richie Kaynes, of course.)

[sgxnk]

4. these terrorists

readily admit that they want to kill ALL infidels

how is an infidel defined? as one who is not a muslim. (or in some cases, not their particular brand of muslim)

so, true. they do not hate us for what we believe. they hate us, primarily, for what we don't believe.

because that is how you define an infidel. they are defined by what they don't believe