Ingrates on Display
Feel a need to raise your blood pressure precipitously? Read this. Pay special attention to some of the comments from Western "celebrities" such as Bill Bailey, and you'll likely feel a sudden, reflexive need to throttle them with your bare hands.
These people act as if this natural disaster were somehow our fault, as if the region's widespread lack of infrastructure and preparedness can be blamed on the United States, white men, and technology, (not necessarily in that order, of course, since it's a well documented fact that the Evil White Male is responsible for all ill in the world). This past summer, Florida was repeatedly pounded by severe hurricanes, yet only 124 Floridians were killed. Fourteen years ago, my Marine Brigade was diverted to Bangladesh after a similar series of storms in the Bay of Bengal had killed 140,000 people. Difference? Technology and education.
Meanwhile, the United States' efforts to democratize and civilize other countries in order to raise their standard of living--at our own expense in both money and blood--are met with derision and ridicule. It's enough to make a person want to go Roman Empire on them: "Here's a hammer, Achmed. Help us build an aqueduct and sewer for your city, so you're not constantly shitting your guts out from dysentery and spreading disease in all the region about, or we'll run you through with a gladius and tack your head up on a pike at the city gates. And keep your stupid religion to yourself, you smelly fucking barbarian."
Of course, we don't "go Roman Empire on them." We never have, and we never will. We just keep giving aid and comfort, and we keep turning the other cheek--right up until you attack us on our home soil. Then it's your ass. The British learned it, (twice). The Japanese learned it. Now the Muslims are learning it. You'd think they'd save themselves (and us) the trouble by simply reading a few chapters in a history book.
These people act as if this natural disaster were somehow our fault, as if the region's widespread lack of infrastructure and preparedness can be blamed on the United States, white men, and technology, (not necessarily in that order, of course, since it's a well documented fact that the Evil White Male is responsible for all ill in the world). This past summer, Florida was repeatedly pounded by severe hurricanes, yet only 124 Floridians were killed. Fourteen years ago, my Marine Brigade was diverted to Bangladesh after a similar series of storms in the Bay of Bengal had killed 140,000 people. Difference? Technology and education.
Meanwhile, the United States' efforts to democratize and civilize other countries in order to raise their standard of living--at our own expense in both money and blood--are met with derision and ridicule. It's enough to make a person want to go Roman Empire on them: "Here's a hammer, Achmed. Help us build an aqueduct and sewer for your city, so you're not constantly shitting your guts out from dysentery and spreading disease in all the region about, or we'll run you through with a gladius and tack your head up on a pike at the city gates. And keep your stupid religion to yourself, you smelly fucking barbarian."
Of course, we don't "go Roman Empire on them." We never have, and we never will. We just keep giving aid and comfort, and we keep turning the other cheek--right up until you attack us on our home soil. Then it's your ass. The British learned it, (twice). The Japanese learned it. Now the Muslims are learning it. You'd think they'd save themselves (and us) the trouble by simply reading a few chapters in a history book.
posted by Jar(egg)head at 15:37
3 Comments:
On the consequences of not reading history.... Thinking about the recent drives to marginalize or remove the study of Western Civilization in schools and University, there is a case to be made on why people *should* read/study the history of Western Civilization. Not just those of us that live here and are a part of it, but maybe even the rest of the "non-Western world" as well. If for no other reason than because we're the ones most capable of raining down total obliteration on your ass if you cross us...AND we're willing and able to cross the globe to do it too. Piss off the Zulu...and short of avoiding holiday tours in South Africa you're pretty well ok.
"because we're the ones most capable of raining down total obliteration on your ass if you cross us..."
Precisely. And that's what worries me; before this is all said and done, some "total obliteration" may be required to convey our seriousness of purpose. If the lefty pundits and Muslim apologists think they found Afghanistan and Iraq distasteful, watch and see what happens if one of our cities gets nuked or bio-attacked. People for generations will be speaking of several major Muslim population centers in the past tense.
We haven't done the scorched earth routine in many years, but we're quite capable of it. Just look at Dresden and Tokyo (or rather, what was left) after Curtis LeMay got ahold of them.
"DINOS CHAPMAN, Artist
Western capitalism demands that people must be impoverished. I cannot think that anything will change this year, because we are the ones who have made the world the way it is. I don't believe in altruism."
This has got to be the most assinine comment I've ever seen. Western capitalism is the one system where anyone can get ahead. It's the one system where people give very gernerously to charities intended to help people. We give and give and give but still get comments like this said. Any country can embrace western capitalism and start pulling themselves out of the gutter. We've shown them how to live, we've given them aid left and right yet that's not enough. They want us to fork over all our money so they don't have to work for it. We have a right to pursue our own happyness and no obligation to lift a finger for the rest of the world. We usually do help out because we're nice people for the most part. But we don't owe it to them.
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