November 07, 2003

Inside Iraq

Posted by Chris

Yahia Said’s account at OpenDemocracy of his return to Iraq is worth a look.

Posted on November 7, 2003 12:00 PM UTC
Comments

Bah,

Anectodal evidence for an apoligiser for the Bush regime. Every single one of those children will eventually be blowing themselves up in order to destroy the US. There will not be peace in this world until the dangerous individualism of the right-wing is obliterated.

Posted by jb · November 7, 2003 02:46 PM

I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or if you really mean that.

Posted by Keats · November 7, 2003 03:45 PM

There will not be peace in this world until the dangerous individualism of the right-wing is obliterated.

It is gramatically correct English, but I still can’t decipher the meaning.

Posted by Lawrence Krubner · November 7, 2003 04:26 PM

Whoah, there, jb old man! If you’re actually serious, well, your post reflects some serious problems:
1) Isn’t it just a tad presumptious, nay arrogant, to believe that you, many miles away, have a better understanding of the situation in Iraq than someone who’s actually been there, traveled around, speaks the language, etc.?
2) Isn’t it a tad presumptious and arrogant, and also, I’d say, disturbingly redolent of a certain inchoate racism, to assume, first, that you know the minds of ALL Iraqis, and, second, that all Iraqis will resort to terrorism?
3) I’m not sure what you mean by right-wing individualism — um, economic individualism? If so, what exactly is the relevance here? As for moral individualism, while now sadly captured by the right in a simplistic Randian form, I like to think of it as originally the property of the left, and its still with the individualist centre-left that I most identify. And I’d say that what we need now is hardly the obliteration of individualism (as your own lumping together of the entire Iraqi people suggests)
4)When you call for the obliteration of the individualism of the right-wing as the means to peace in this world, are you endorsing violence, or just adopting violent rhetoric? The latter seems to me in poor taste and judgment given the current situation. The former — well, at that point it seems conversation becomes impossible.

Posted by josh · November 7, 2003 04:58 PM

Whoah, there, jb old man! If you’re actually serious, well, your post reflects some serious problems:
1) Isn’t it just a tad presumptious, nay arrogant, to believe that you, many miles away, have a better understanding of the situation in Iraq than someone who’s actually been there, traveled around, speaks the language, etc.?
2) Isn’t it a tad presumptious and arrogant, and also, I’d say, disturbingly redolent of a certain inchoate racism, to assume, first, that you know the minds of ALL Iraqis, and, second, that all Iraqis will resort to terrorism?
3) I’m not sure what you mean by right-wing individualism — um, economic individualism? If so, what exactly is the relevance here? As for moral individualism, while now sadly captured by the right in a simplistic Randian form, I like to think of it as originally the property of the left, and its still with the individualist centre-left that I most identify. And I’d say that what we need now is hardly the obliteration of individualism (as your own lumping together of the entire Iraqi people suggests)
4)When you call for the obliteration of the individualism of the right-wing as the means to peace in this world, are you endorsing violence, or just adopting violent rhetoric? The latter seems to me in poor taste and judgment given the current situation. The former — well, at that point it seems conversation becomes impossible.

Posted by josh · November 7, 2003 04:59 PM

Thanks jb, that’s exactly what I was going to say.

Posted by dipnut · November 7, 2003 07:21 PM
Followups

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.