Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2008 10:09 PM
It's days like today that make me wonder about where I stand on this whole terror-thing.
America had it coming; as long as you piss people off long enough, someone will go and make a statement, and killing a few thousand people makes for a very profound statement.
A large part of me would very much like to have people from all over the world to live together in peace, letting others be while you still can be yourself; giving and taking in equal amounts.
I know it's very naive of me to think that way, because it will never happen.
We try to, here in Holland, but other people try to take advantage over it and refuse to respect the values this nation is built upon, like separation of religion and government. At the same time, our government is throwing away heaps of money on prestigious projects which will never come to life, which are just a money-sucking black hole.
A Prime Minister who decides to not listen to the people, despite him saying earlier that he should.
But back to today.
Seven years ago, a bunch of nuts in planes ended the lives of some 3500 people, and changing that of billions. Sad, really.
But when I think of the hundreds of thousands of people that are killed every year in traffic, by diseases like cancer and AIDS, through violence, through regular disasters and whatnot, I ask myself; what makes those 3500 people more special?
Think about it.
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# re: Days like today
9/13/2008 12:16 PM by
Like all other "disasters" if it's happening outside the usual statistics, those people are no longer a number but a name.
Psychologically speaking the fact is explained in the book "Neverwhere": It's not that you do not see all the other deaths, it's that you don't care "because they are supposed to happen." If those planes would not have been Hijacked by "foreigners" but by some random Americans, or if it would have been an accident, the problem would have been a lot smaller because America did not have to retaliate, and we would all be having a wonderful day, and all those soldiers would live, and a few less Iraqis and Afghans would have died.
But seeing as how you would lose face and credibility on an international level, if they would not have retaliated, they had to react, and fast. Thusly setting all of this about. If it would have been angry Canadians, they could have talked about it and they would have started a manhunt in Canada, but leaving the country to be. But seeing as how the former Afghan government did not want to talk, they had to go and seize the country. And while they are at it, get a long time feud to end and get Iraq too.
Personally, I prefer to say that we used to be respectful to other cultures and that they would be respectful to us etc. but seeing as how, instead of long term wins, the government is trying to get quick kills, they are facing a losing battle. The old days were made of longterm plans and discussions about things that mattered for governments, and now they are discussing things that are important for citizens. I mean: Why should a government need to say "to get more children because that's good for the future economy" if they themselves are the ones supposed to take care of the future of the country and we can be happy to populate it?
# re: Days like today
9/15/2008 10:17 PM by
I know what you mean, and I realise that it's not as easy as depicted in my rant, but sometimes, I need to get it out of my system.
I used to be an idealist; seeing things in a rather naive way. You know: "quit fightin' and the world will be a better place", trying to make a difference, but failing miserably at the same time.
Hell, I collected money for the hungry kids in Africa in '88 (Live Aid and all), not realising that the majority of that money would end up on the bank account of some corrupt politician. I thought I did good, but looking back, I realise it was rather circe.