8th May 2004, 7:57 PM
No, regardless of what they did, it wouldn't make things right.
Ya know ABF, I know what you mean about anti-arab sentiment. It's really a sad state of affairs, but it's not THAT widespread. The fact that you think that alone proves there is a large group, indeed the dominant part of America, who isn't hating the arabs right now. Personally, I just have a problem with those who do these acts. I'd have to look into the religoin to decide if that really does encourage violence. At any rate, hating everyone from that nation certainly isn't a good solution. Fortunatly, most people here at TC I believe don't have such an attitude.
Anyway, I feel pretty disgusted about the whole thing. It's not more terrible than what some have done to us, but that's not justification for it. We're supposed to be Super Man as opposed to their Lex Luthor. At the same time, the media, while I can understand reporting this, crossed the line when they decided to post those images of those acts on TV. That was really low. Imagine being humiliated and then the news decides "the people have a right to gawk" at pictures of it. I mean, we got so upset over the videos of Iraqi embarresment, and rightly so. What our media did however seems worse. The media should have the good sense to not show these pictures for the same reason you don't show pictures of someone's rape just because you have the ability to. Oh wait, they DID show those pics! Honestly, what those people did in that prison was disgusting enough, but the media, that I don't hold responsible for that mind you, certainly was INCREDIBLY heartless and downright cruel in showing those pictures. I'm sure their defense would be something like "proving we didn't just make this up" or something like that. Honestly, whether you need it for proof is irrelevent. You don't cross that line just for the sake of good business. And beside the point, I'd think simply playing back a recording with officials who can verify it would be evidence enough for the general populace.
Sorry, I make it out that I'm more upset with the news media's actions (I know, the news stations don't talk with each other, nor are they all the same) than this particular thing. Don't get me wrong, I am much more upset about that, but the wrongness of that to me seems too obvious to really have to explain in words.
Ya know ABF, I know what you mean about anti-arab sentiment. It's really a sad state of affairs, but it's not THAT widespread. The fact that you think that alone proves there is a large group, indeed the dominant part of America, who isn't hating the arabs right now. Personally, I just have a problem with those who do these acts. I'd have to look into the religoin to decide if that really does encourage violence. At any rate, hating everyone from that nation certainly isn't a good solution. Fortunatly, most people here at TC I believe don't have such an attitude.
Anyway, I feel pretty disgusted about the whole thing. It's not more terrible than what some have done to us, but that's not justification for it. We're supposed to be Super Man as opposed to their Lex Luthor. At the same time, the media, while I can understand reporting this, crossed the line when they decided to post those images of those acts on TV. That was really low. Imagine being humiliated and then the news decides "the people have a right to gawk" at pictures of it. I mean, we got so upset over the videos of Iraqi embarresment, and rightly so. What our media did however seems worse. The media should have the good sense to not show these pictures for the same reason you don't show pictures of someone's rape just because you have the ability to. Oh wait, they DID show those pics! Honestly, what those people did in that prison was disgusting enough, but the media, that I don't hold responsible for that mind you, certainly was INCREDIBLY heartless and downright cruel in showing those pictures. I'm sure their defense would be something like "proving we didn't just make this up" or something like that. Honestly, whether you need it for proof is irrelevent. You don't cross that line just for the sake of good business. And beside the point, I'd think simply playing back a recording with officials who can verify it would be evidence enough for the general populace.
Sorry, I make it out that I'm more upset with the news media's actions (I know, the news stations don't talk with each other, nor are they all the same) than this particular thing. Don't get me wrong, I am much more upset about that, but the wrongness of that to me seems too obvious to really have to explain in words.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)