Advice on Watching Nicholas Berg Video - Rachel

[phlud]

Yeah, I listen to Al Franken here and there as well as Moore, though I didn't like him much at first impression. I used to listen/watch Bill O'Reilley also, but now the only time I hear from him is if I'm clicking past and hear something interesting. I also enjoy Dennis Miller from time to time, and always look forward to his appearances on Jay Leno. I often relate to his views (most of the time) but mostly just get a kick from his jokes. I know what you mean by the kids today, to the extent that when I bring it up with people they have that "say no more" look on their faces. There are so many under educated, arrogant, selfish kids that care little for the world around them unless it impacts on their petty lifestyles or vices. It's not all hopeless I guess, I've met 8 year olds with more common sense than a 16 year old.

 

[GlassDraggon]

I have JUST watched the video for the first time. The two things I noticed: I am almost entirely desensitized to violence and death and that I am sickened by my own anticipation and excitement at his death. To my senses, it could have almost been perceived as entertainment. I am sickened by both realizations.

Being desensitized seems to serve the purposes of a war mongering nation. But what I would like to know is why exactly Americans suddenly became so sensitive to 911? We have been performing brutal acts of violence against our own people as well as others for generations and most of our violent atrocities exceeded those committed on 911. So why suddenly where our morals or our feelings changed?

It certainly wasn't because of the innocent people involved. We have already established that Americans killing innocent Americans is commonplace. It wasn't because of the suffering caused to their families. Was it because of the publicity and the scripted nationalistic ideologies that were enacted immediately following? Or was it a sudden sense of impending doom all of Americans felt at that moment?

I guess my first question is: Was it selfish or was the sudden outburst of emotion for others?

 

[Hat_Man]

Being desensitized seems to serve the purposes of a war mongering nation. But what I would like to know is why exactly Americans suddenly became so sensitive to 911? We have been performing brutal acts of violence against our own people as well as others for generations and most of our violent atrocities exceeded those committed on 911. So why suddenly where our morals or our feelings changed?

I find it hard to believe what you are saying. What acts of brutality has the US commited against its own people, and don't say the death penalty or anything else like that. You can't compare the slaughter of three thousand innocent people to the execution of convited murderers.
Even if that wasn't what you were talking about, and I don't assume it was, I can't think of anything you can point to that equals 911. I simply don't understand why you insist on dragging America in the mud! To compare us to the Muslim Extremists is not only ludicrous and laughable, I find it insulting, outragous and entirly unacceptable.
There were no change of morals in our part. Never before in the history of this country have we been attacked ON OUR OWN SHORES in such a vast manner. We, America, had an act of war passed on us, greater then that of Pearl Harbor. Maybe you would like to talk to the people you burned to death that day, 911, and see what they thought about it.
You know how I stand, and that words are not suffecient to express my thoughts on people who comapre us to the barbaric, inexcusable, and evil Mulsim Fascists who wish to destroy all freedom in the world, both here in America, Russia, and everywhere else!

 

[GlassDraggon]

I almost envy your convictions. But the acts of brutality committed against our own people range far further than the death penalty (although the execution of possibly thousands of innocent people is in no way acceptable).

The brutality which I am recognizing is that of mental brutality. When I (a high school student) am desensitized to the point that I am nearly entertained by such brutality, that in and of itself is a horrendous achievement on a government's or society's part.

I do not believe that the death sof 911 were anything less than a tradgedy, but I am sickened by how American's fail to realize that such tradegedies occur daily on much larger scales. We fail to realize the implecations of drinking cheap columbian coffee or wearing inexpensive shoe's from Wal-Mart. We hide the brutality which we inflict every day upon those "below" us. Buddhists seem to put it best when they explain the philosophy of Kharma. 911 was in a sense, Kharma and should be seen as that. It could not have been a mistake that it was the World Trade Center and the Pentagon which was bombed. These are the two largest establishments of brutality against 3rd world countries on the face of the earth.

I am sincerely sorry if you do not see this brutality, because if you are a representative of the majority of America...we are doomed.



Now I believe it is also important to address the issue of these "evil Muslim Fascists who wish to destroy all freedom in the world". First off, what freedom? The freedom to be tied down by a looming mortage bill? The freedom to worry about breaking minimum wage? The freedom to fear that your children will not receive quality education? The freedom to obey mandatory societal laws which discourage individuality? I'm not unpatriotic, I'm just unAmerican because American has come to stand for tyranny and oppression.

I am not making this statement as a high school student without any significant background. I am making this statement as an individual who has travel a great deal of the world (meaning third world countries) and has seen real suffering. What those Americans suffered on 911 cannot even compare to the suffering I have seen in places like northern Thailand and in the streets of poor Bolivian cities.

I suggest you get out of American and see the world for yourself.

 

[khermans]

I couldn't have said it better myself. You touched on every aspect that no one else in America seems to realize. We do hurt others so that we can be "free". If you know physics (why you're here), you can relate happiness to the law of conservation of energy. If we are very happy to have nice, cheap shoes (walmart example), the slave laborers in third world nations are NOT happy about it. If one person is happy, andother is unhappy. If you have $1,000,000 - someone else DOESN'T have that same $1,000,000. Americans should think about these things when evaluating "worth" in the 21st century. Material things should not be more important to you than the survival of some "lower" class (economically infeasible) individual...think long and hard about this