Couldn't have been filled with more liberal propaganda if it had tried. I had to turn it off after about 15 minutes.
CNN's "Why do they hate us?"
- Thread starter TarHeelEer
- Start date
They hate us because we dedicate TV airtime to discuss the question of "Why do they hate us."
To think Western actions in the ME has little or no bearing on the attitudes and actions of ME'ers is incorrect. To think they hate us because of our free way of life is ridiculous. It is the long occupation of Britain, followed by the West's protection of despots and the US support of Israel that drives the angst against the West. Almost all the publications from the ME highlight one or more of these issues.
I actually don't think we can do anything to change their opinion short of demanding respect through overwhelming force. At some point someone is going have to be an adult and make some real world decision on dealing with ISIS.
I think you're underestimating to some degree the effect of religious fundamentalism. Christianity has been tamed (in terms of living a normal life in a normal world) but Islam has not. It's hard for people in the US to relate when the "crazy" Christians in the US say gays shouldn't be allowed to marry or whatnot whereas in other parts of the word the "crazy" religious people say gays shouldn't be allowed to live. To the "crazy" religious people in the other parts of the world, the "crazy" Christians here in the US are crazy because they're too liberal.
The father of the Orlando shooter said that his son shouldn't have done the shootings because it was God's place to punish the gay people in that club. He didn't say the gay people in that club didn't deserve punishment or that it was God's place to judge the gay people in that club, rather he said it was God's place to punish them. This guy has been in the US for 30+ years.
We can quibble as to what is culture and what is religion but that aspect aside, a lot of these people simply have a very, very different idea of what society should be like. Granted, if they perceived that US policy in the ME to be friendlier to them they'd be slightly more likely to be able to shed their religious fundamentalism, but OTOH if so many of them weren't religious fundamentalists to begin with then the US policy would be different in the first place.
There is a lot of truth in this post.
Along these lines, and one example that contradicts the Muslim extremist view (which I wish there were more examples): I once worked with a guy from Pakistan. His family was high up in the leadership of the country and they had a turn over in leadership and his family had to flee Pakistan. He became "westernized". His favorite tv show was Married with Children. He had a great sense of humor and quoted comedy all the time.