The Sydney Morning Herald's Paul Sheehan today informs us that when it comes to the Middle East, "we remain locked in a malignant cliche, a vision of the region and its peoples as seething and dysfunctional, divided between Islamic fundamentalists and those who fear them. Blood and terror is the dominant news story from the Gulf."
How insightful and original. As usual with Sheehan, the reasons behind such racism aren't articulated, so let me help. Our mainstream media is a prime culprit. While we remain convinced of "our liberation" of Iraq, America's supposed belief in democracy and freedom in the region and label anyone who disputes the Bush agenda as terrorists or appeasers, Sheehan's words, no matter how well intentioned, will fall on deaf ears.
For the real perspective on the Arab world, don't rely on the Western press. Check out blogs or regional newspapers. Only then do we realise that many in the Middle East have no desire for Western influence or "liberation".
How insightful and original. As usual with Sheehan, the reasons behind such racism aren't articulated, so let me help. Our mainstream media is a prime culprit. While we remain convinced of "our liberation" of Iraq, America's supposed belief in democracy and freedom in the region and label anyone who disputes the Bush agenda as terrorists or appeasers, Sheehan's words, no matter how well intentioned, will fall on deaf ears.
For the real perspective on the Arab world, don't rely on the Western press. Check out blogs or regional newspapers. Only then do we realise that many in the Middle East have no desire for Western influence or "liberation".
2 Comments:
Yep, much better to leave dysfunctional, mysoginistic, homophobic, homocidal, suicidal cultures with religious superiority complexes to do their own thing, and pursue nuclear weapons even as they have vowed to eliminate a neighbouring state and ally of the West.
Whatever happened to the proud Left tradition of reason over clericalism and of hoping to better the lives of people by freeing them from sectarian superstitions?
Don't believe everything you read in the newspapers, Ant, when it comes to gauging the mood of the public. As you're all too aware, if a foreigner had read nothing but the Fairfax press in the run-up to the election, he would've thought Latham the shoe-in.
Yep, much better to leave dysfunctional, mysoginistic, homophobic, homocidal, suicidal cultures with religious superiority complexes to do their own thing
You seem to speak as though Western society lacks these things...
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