[KournikovaFan91]

Originally Posted by Olórin

How on earth is the "arrogant westerner" stereotype any more valid or productive than the accused Islamic stereotyping

I live in the West and that IS the attitude of the establishment here about everywhere not just the Arab world. Look at how the media slanders Ecuador over Assange.

Having been to the Arab world myself this is clearly not the majority's actions whereas the arrogance of the West is the majority attitude.

[Chris 84]

Originally Posted by Talula

Bang goes their tourism industry - what's left of it. And millions of local people will suffer further - Egypt is already suffering.

And in Regents Park today I heard a mob near the US Ambassador's residence.

If every time there was histrionics by Westeners on streets in America and other countries every time there was anti-Western propaganda in these countries then it would be 24 hours a day!

The irony is, most people had never heard of or would see, or support this film, until all of this. Over reactions or what!

Originally Posted by Talula

The irony is, if you offered them all an American passport they'd snatch it out of your hand in an instant!

you're fond of "the irony is" as a little catchphrase, aren't you? and i have no idea why you'd think they'd all snatch an american passport if they could. anyway, is it any surprise that people in certain places react with anti-american anger given the actions from the usa in recent times? of course not.

Originally Posted by frenchie

That part of the world is really getting on my nerves.
They should just stop taking religion so seriously. They would not be offended every 5 minutes.

You know what?
I booked my next holidays 1 month ago. When the girl at the travel agency asked us where we wanted to go, our first answer was "not in an arabic country!!"

That tells everything.

yes, it tells everything about you.

Originally Posted by $uricate

Has any country in recent memory been involved in as many wars?

disregarding the rest of your post (especially the china bit) this is pretty important stuff. america's rhetoric and actions have been perceived to be (and in some cases have clearly been) anti-muslim. its natural that a large number of people in these places loathe america.


as far as my own views, i think that it is quite obvious that certain muslims in certain countries are far too touchy over the subject of religion, and i believe that everything should be open to criticism and ridicule. however, it has been the case in fairly recent times in the "civilised west" that people who criticised christianity were threatened, ostracised and the like.

[azdaja]

Originally Posted by Olórin

How on earth is the "arrogant westerner" stereotype any more valid or productive than the accused Islamic stereotyping

you have no idea.

[Lesborah]

Originally Posted by frenchie

That part of the world is really getting on my nerves.
They should just stop taking religion so seriously. They would not be offended every 5 minutes.

You know what?
I booked my next holidays 1 month ago. When the girl at the travel agency asked us where we wanted to go, our first answer was "not in an arabic country!!"

That tells everything.

Coming from a Sarkozy fanboy, NID.

[Melange]

Originally Posted by $uricate

No offense but does any non-US country like the US?

Strutting around the world like they're such hot shit (not all, there's a lot of great American posters here )

Can't wait till China brings it to the next level and stomps all over them.

Has any country in recent memory been involved in as many wars?

Has any other county launched a nuclear assault on a civilian area?

Waiting for you guys to take out downtown Seoul

[Melange]

Originally Posted by Williamsser

The US should stop giving these countries financial aid.

Wheres the wave of peace and goodwill your hero Bush brought to Middle East

[Wigglytuff]

man this thread is just an excuse to stereotype people.

[Wigglytuff]

Ok on topic

There is NO EXCUSE for this kind of mob violence. NONE. Nothing, I mean NOTHING justifies it. Having said that, the video is stupid and done by a bunch of liars and cheats who even lied to the actors. It's a stupid movie that should never have been made. From what I have read it seems the mobs (like all mobs) fails to understand the basic facts. Many of those in the mob, if not most or all, believe that there is something the government can do to stop or punish the idiots who made this film. I understand that it might be hard to understand but there has been no effect to explain that. We do NOT live in a dictatorship. Obama can not pushy button and have the movie go away. Nor should he have that rights.

[$uricate]

Originally Posted by Melange

Waiting for you guys to take out downtown Seoul

We have a bottle of coca cola and some mentos at the ready

Originally Posted by Melange

Wheres the wave of peace and goodwill your hero Bush brought to Middle East

Exactly.

All the US government does is meddle. If there is so much anti-American hatred in these countries GTFO.

Oh yeah, if they did that they couldn't pillage all their natural resourses and give a lot of $$$ making building contracts to US construction companies

I feel sorry for most Americans, believing all the lies.

The rest of the world is not an episode of Laguna Beach.

The least that can happen in these lands is free teeth whitening and Abercrombie and Fitch stores for all

[*JR*]

Looks like the Germans aren't that universally loved either.

[$uricate]

That last statement by me may be a stereotype but everyone here is stereotyping. As if everyone in these countries has the same view

[Olórin]

Originally Posted by KournikovaFan91

I live in the West and that IS the attitude of the establishment here about everywhere not just the Arab world. Look at how the media slanders Ecuador over Assange.

Having been to the Arab world myself this is clearly not the majority's actions whereas the arrogance of the West is the majority attitude.

Just because the media projects arrogance, and some quarters of the political establishment exhibit arrogance it doesn't mean it is "the majority attitude". Sorry, I've seen no proof whatsoever that you could make this generalisation. Anyway I'm not sure even the media is uniformly arrogant.

What "slander" in particular caught your mind over Assange? I thought the BBC dealt with it quite fairly.

[Olórin]

Originally Posted by azdaja

you have no idea.

I have travelled to dozens of countries, all over the world, been to third world countries with worse living standards than those in northern africa. Also, I have studied history my entire life, I have a good overview of the history of the entire world including the middle and near east. I'm pretty sure I have at least as balanced a perspective than you, whoever you are.

[$uricate]

Originally Posted by Olórin

Just because the media projects arrogance, and some quarters of the political establishment exhibit arrogance it doesn't mean it is "the majority attitude". Sorry, I've seen no proof whatsoever that you could make this generalisation. Anyway I'm not sure even the media is uniformly arrogant.

What "slander" in particular caught your mind over Assange? I thought the BBC dealt with it quite fairly.

While I believe you are very objective and respect your views, there is just no way the whole Assange thing was treated fairly.

Oh look, someone tells the truth finally and what happens?

They dig up some story and say he's endangering peoples lives, based on misdeads THEY have done, evil they have created.

So people in power can do whatever they want and we have to protect them based on some notion of perceived power and authority?

They lose that authority when they commit heinous acts and then lie to the masses.

Do you honestly believe the masses are told everything?

Someone tells the truth and the government and media ostracises them. Lo and behold all the sheep follow their shepherd.

[Darop.]

Originally Posted by Williamsser

The US should stop giving these countries financial aid.

Are you kidding me?? After all the turmoil, death, destruction and suffering the US has caused in these countries through war and supporting ridiculous marionettes of their own government, financial aid is THE VERY LEAST the US has to supply.

If anything tell the US to stop supporting Bahrein where they're standing by a vicious crackdown by the army and police on innocent civilians.