10th October 2009, 7:03 PM
Oh, the fact that Henry Kissinger won a Nobel Peace Prize says everything anyone needs to know about how valid the prize is -- it isn't. Kissinger is a mass murderer, pretty much, bloodthirsty and responsible for hundreds and hundreds of thousands of deaths... the prize doesn't mean that much.
I also agree Yasser Arafat absolutely did not deserve one. He's nowhere near Kissinger's level, but he was pretty bad, and should never have won it. I understand why they gave it, as a political reward essentially, but it was not deserved.
And also, as I said, "Not Bush" is actually something very, very good for the world...
Well, it depends on what level you look. Sometimes they've given it for those more direct things, sometimes for policymakers farther away from the direct action... but those people can, when they want to, have a greater impact than any single person working on their own to help. And that's what Obama seems to have won it for, beyond "We really hated Bush, here's one more finger in his eye!" -- the hope that he will do things to make the world better. Will he? Will he do things to really deserve this? We'll see...
Oh, and yes, they should have waited until he (hopefully) actually does things to deserve it before awarding it. I certainly believe that. But even so the concept is good.
I also agree Yasser Arafat absolutely did not deserve one. He's nowhere near Kissinger's level, but he was pretty bad, and should never have won it. I understand why they gave it, as a political reward essentially, but it was not deserved.
And also, as I said, "Not Bush" is actually something very, very good for the world...
Quote:I'm talking about aid workers in Darfur, the Iranians who rose against their tyrant this summer, the people who travel to overpopulated Indian hellholes so that they can administer medical care--yet, the award is given to a man whose greatest contribution to world peace was inviting a white cop and a black professor to sit and have lunch in the same room together.
Well, it depends on what level you look. Sometimes they've given it for those more direct things, sometimes for policymakers farther away from the direct action... but those people can, when they want to, have a greater impact than any single person working on their own to help. And that's what Obama seems to have won it for, beyond "We really hated Bush, here's one more finger in his eye!" -- the hope that he will do things to make the world better. Will he? Will he do things to really deserve this? We'll see...
Oh, and yes, they should have waited until he (hopefully) actually does things to deserve it before awarding it. I certainly believe that. But even so the concept is good.