# Alleged James Foley "beheading" video is so incredibly fake. How is anyone buying this bullshit? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 21, 2014, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069 "2014-08-21T07:59:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/361 "2014-08-28T16:23:39Z")
There’s only one way a Rolex can be authentic. Saying a video is authentic can mean a number of things, including: [ul] [li]It is not a hoax[/li][li]The people in it are actually who they appear to be[/li][li]It was actually created by who claimed to create it[/li][li]It does not use camera trickery or special effects[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/362 "2014-08-28T16:23:55Z")
> [@andros](#): > > How were they defining “authentic?” Indeed, that’s been a topic of discussion since early in this thread. **EasyPhil** , mercifully, seems to have suddenly developed amnesia and has probably forgotten some of the oral dogshit he and **Rigamarole** have expelled since then. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/363 "2014-08-28T16:33:59Z")
> [@EasyPhil](#): > > That’s a good question…if someone says to you: “This Rolex is authentic” What does that mean to you? That it might be “authentic”? Sure, but that’s a simplistic comparison, innit? If someone says to me “that ISIS beheading video is authentic,” it could mean that it was actually taken by ISIS, that it was shot in the desert, that it actually depicts a terrorist, that it actually depicts James Foley. And of course, it could mean that it actually depicts a beheading. I think it’s perfectly reasonable that “we determined it to be authentic” could mean “we determined that it’s actually ISIS, actually Foley and actually shot in the desert this week.” I agree completely that “_it’s authentic_” implies “_it depicts an actual execution_.” You seem to be of the opinion that the US Government deliberately intended to communicate that. (I guess?) I don’t think there’s enough evidence to reach that conclusion, without knowing the full context of the assessments done by the various US intelligence agencies involved, their conclusions, and how those conclusions were presented. It would not shock me one little bit if the media heard “authentic” and ran with it devoid of nuance or caveat. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Davidius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Darth\_Davidius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Davidius)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/364 "2014-08-28T19:50:12Z")
> [@Darth\_Davidius](#): > > I’d also like to add that (in my opinion only, not speaking for anyone else) it matters (it being whether or not Foley was killed on- or off-camera) because we don’t really have proof how Foley was executed, if he was executed at all. If we’re to understand how ISIS operates, how they think, what makes them tick, we have to know these things. I’m not saying there’s a conspiracy. I’m saying (again, in my opinion only) that the circumstances behind the video and what is actually seen or not seen on that video (i.e., where are they? what weapon is used? are they all talk? are there clues as to the whereabouts of these animals?) gives us much needed insight into how these barbarians work. > [@Bouncer](#): > > Bullshit. > > Here’s a video of ISIS killing dozens of people… This IS how ISIS works. They also kill dozens of people with automatic weapons fire in a mass pit. This IS how ISIS works. I don’t know how much more proof anyone needs. > > It’s self explanatory, no interpretation or evaluation needed. They are straight up homicidal maniacs beyond redemption. There is little doubt that they killed Foley. There is little doubt that they did so in one of the most brutal manners possible. On camera or off camera they are the same animals. > > We need to wipe them from the planet. We really do. There is no redeeming them. So you’re suggesting that the U.S. knows _everything_ there is to know about them so they don’t need to evaluate and scrutinize all the details of a supposed beheading or any other piece of evidence regarding ISIS? That’s just pure ignorance. “Wait, what? A new ISIS video? Gosh darnit, we **know** everything about 'em, those animals! Throw that video in the trash, we’re good!” I’m glad you don’t work for the FBI, CIA, etc. We agree on one thing, though: ISIS should be wiped off the face of the planet. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/365 "2014-08-28T20:12:33Z")
> [@Darth\_Davidius](#): > > So you’re suggesting that the U.S. knows _everything_ there is to know about them so they don’t need to evaluate and scrutinize all the details of a supposed beheading or any other piece of evidence regarding ISIS? That’s just pure ignorance. I guess you didn’t really want that much insight into the group. If you have even a vague familiarity with what they do, it’s not hard to accept that they cut a guy’s head off. [It’s kind of their thing, apparently.](http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Aug-28/268872-isis-said-to-behead-army-soldier.ashx#axzz3Bif0GlxR) What’s hard to accept is that they went to the trouble of faking a murder for no particular reason. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Davidius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Darth\_Davidius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Davidius)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/366 "2014-08-28T20:19:16Z")
> [@Darth\_Davidius](#): > > I understand some are paying attention more to _how_ he said it rather than _what_ he said, but he made his point and he was right. > [@PlainJain](#): > > Complete and utter horse shit. Go back and read the OP again. He had 3 points to make the main one being that people that believed the video showed a beheading were “fucking morons”. Easily false. I don’t live for validating news outlets. If a large majority of news outlets are claiming there is a video of an alleged beheading of a prisoner of a group known to callously murder, I’ll go with it. Even it later turns out not to be the case, it does not make me a moron. It made Rigamarole “angry” that people were acting like the video was real and calls these people “morons.” That’s Rigamarole’s opinion. When I said Rigamarole was on point, I didn’t mean Rigamarole was on point calling people morons. He was on point about this… > [@PlainJain](#): > > His second point was that the beheading itself was faked. His speculations might prove true, but it was only speculation at the time. Rigamarole asked why major news outlets reported the video to be “real.” The video _portrays_ a beheading. No actual beheading took place in the video. Rigamarole was on point with this one and the fact that certain media outlets reported the video to be a beheading when we all know that’s not the case. Now, I don’t know if the still image was Photoshopped, so can’t say he’s on point with that, but the still image can lend to the argument that the rest of the video has various staged aspects to it. > [@PlainJain](#): > > He didn’t know. You are right, though, that he didn’t do himself any favors by painting anyone who didn’t agree as a fucking moron. Agreed, as I said that some were paying attention more to _how_ he said it rather than _what_ he said, but again, he made his point and he was right. > [@PlainJain](#): > > There was a decapitation. It’s stupid to jump the conclusion that this is some sort of government conspiracy just because you suspect the IS video was staged. Most experts, even the ones saying various portions of the video were probably staged, agree that he was probably killed off camera. I won’t pretend to know whether it was by decapitation or not because a still image _in and of itself_ doesn’t prove or disprove it happened. And I didn’t jump to any conclusions that this was a conspiracy. Not once have I said it was a conspiracy. To label it that or suggest someone is alluding to that is lazy. The video _was_ obviously staged, from Foley’s scripted speech down to the start of his supposed beheading, and I agree with various explanations (none of which have been proven thus far to be true) as to why the video ended up looking the way it did: maybe Foley fought back when a beheading started; maybe the decapitation took longer than expected; ISIS edited the video for Western audiences; specific camera tricks were deployed to streamline the video, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/367 "2014-08-28T20:29:20Z")
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen meta-pedantry before. This is kind of fascinating in an incredibly boring way. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Davidius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Darth\_Davidius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Davidius)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/368 "2014-08-28T20:44:14Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > If you have even a vague familiarity with what they do, it’s not hard to accept that they cut a guy’s head off. It’s kind of their thing, apparently. I’ve accepted that these people (and I’m reluctant to call them that) are capable of beheading. You have to know your enemy to learn how to defeat them. That’s why the video should be (and is) being scrutinized. The video being staged or not (along with everything else in the video) gives one even more insight on ISIS, perhaps their specific whereabouts in case it helps intelligence zero in on them even more, capability now compared to before, the list goes on, etc. Not sure how this point is even debatable. > [@Marley23](#): > > What’s hard to accept is that they went to the trouble of faking a murder for no particular reason. It _is_ hard for some to accept (and apparently to understand) why ISIS might have went to the trouble of staging the video, but various explanations have already been posted (none of which have been proven thus far to be true) as to why. And let me repeat: suggesting someone is alluding to this being a conspiracy is one in a long line of lazy retorts. > [@Marley23](#): > > I don’t know if I’ve ever seen [such] meta-pedantry before. Sure you have… a certain person’s nitpicking posts that failed miserably at hiding that person’s inability to make more concrete rebuttals. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/369 "2014-08-28T21:16:56Z")
> [@Darth\_Davidius](#): > > I’ve accepted that these people (and I’m reluctant to call them that) are capable of beheading. A point that never should’ve been in dispute, by the way - I say that less about you and more about **Rigamarole** and **EasyPhil**. They’ve been advertising their brutality from the beginning, and it’s why a lot of people turn and run when they come to town. > [@](#): > > And let me repeat: suggesting someone is alluding to this being a conspiracy is one in a long line of lazy retorts. It’s cute that you think I give a fuck. The behavior that is best described as lazy here is **Rigamarole** and **EasyPhil** , who have gone to the trouble of making extreme claims and not bothered to substantiate them or explain their significance. Except of course they’re not really being lazy; they’re dodging these issues because they are unable to answer them and are trying to do a victory dance instead. > [@Darth\_Davidius](#): > > > [@Marley23](#): > > > > I don’t know if I’ve ever seen [such] meta-pedantry before. > > Sure you have… a certain person’s nitpicking posts that failed miserably at hiding that person’s inability to make more concrete rebuttals. I’m reporting this because your inserted word changes the meaning of my post. I did not say I’ve never seen anyone _as_ “meta-pedantic” as you are being. I’m saying I’ve never seen anyone do it at all. **Rigamarole** ’s entire argument is pedantic, and you are pedantically explaining the entire thing for him since he is no longer willing to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/370 "2014-08-29T01:56:34Z")
> [@Darth\_Davidius](#): > > Sure you have… a certain person’s nitpicking posts that failed miserably at hiding that person’s inability to make more concrete rebuttals. [Moderating] **Darth Davidius** , changing another poster’s posts inside the quote tags is a violation of the SDMB rules. Please avoid this in the future. No warning issued. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Bouncer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Bouncer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bouncer)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/371 "2014-08-29T02:00:35Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [Moderating] > **Bouncer** , if you’re going to link to disturbing, sexualized, or otherwise NSFW content, please observe the “two-click” rule and put the link behind spoiler tags. I’ve edited your post to add in the spoilers. > > No warning issued. > [/Moderating] Oops, sorry, I was unaware. Lesson learned and thanks for the quick clean up on aisle six. 🙂 Regards, -Bouncer- ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/372 "2014-08-29T02:27:49Z")
> [@EasyPhil](#): > > You did indeed post several headlines, however most news outlets changed their tune when the US spokespeople said the video was “real” i.e. they “authenticated” it. Which of course has the effect of having people believing what was previously “purported”. Hey! EasyPhil is back from the Bürgerbräukeller or Klan rally or whatever hate group he’s been hiding in [since the days he was claiming that Jews were told by the Elders of Zion to avoid the WTC on 9/11!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=137387&page=3) What with him back, The Second Stone, and one or two others, we’ve got the start of the SDMB’s very own Stormfront contingent! Maybe they can recreate Krystalnacht by throwing rocks at their monitors. ---
**Author:** ![Bouncer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Bouncer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bouncer)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/373 "2014-08-29T02:47:31Z")
> [@Darth\_Davidius](#): > > So you’re suggesting that the U.S. knows _everything_ there is to know about them so they don’t need to evaluate and scrutinize all the details of a supposed beheading or any other piece of evidence regarding ISIS? That’s just pure ignorance. > > “Wait, what? A new ISIS video? Gosh darnit, we **know** everything about 'em, those animals! Throw that video in the trash, we’re good!” I’m glad you don’t work for the FBI, CIA, etc. > > We agree on one thing, though: ISIS should be wiped off the face of the planet. Nope, you suggested we needed to watch more murder porn to see how ISIS works. I rebutted that ridiculous assertion because hey guess what, watching another forty men get slaughtered is of no tactical or strategic value whatsoever and teaches us nothing. It’s not real time, and it doesn’t disclose any of their planning, logistics, finances, leadership structure, methods of internal communication, or internal politics. It’s people being slaughtered. But you go ahead and renew your subscription to ogrish/liveleak or whatever-the-hell while you tell us it’s all about your personal intel gathering operations. The real Gray Fox/ISA types will be using real tools like Analysts Notebook, not your pay-per-view account at murderporn(dot)com, to hunt these animals down. We, as a people, do not need to view these, and our intel activities do not generally bother to watch them more than once, because they have almost no value besides confirming that yep, ISIS is still murdering people. For the record, we watch the bejesus out of Al-Baghdadi’s tapes for every scrap of useable material. So it’s not that we don’t scrape the jihadist material for everything we can find, it’s that there’s no intel value in almost all of the murderporn tapes because hey, \* it’s propaganda \*. That’s the point. Regards, -Bouncer- ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/374 "2014-08-29T04:05:07Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > Hey! EasyPhil is back from the Bürgerbräukeller or Klan rally or whatever hate group he’s been hiding in [since the days he was claiming that Jews were told by the Elders of Zion to avoid the WTC on 9/11!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=137387&page=3) Could **EasyPhil** be even stupider than I thought? That’d be fucking impressive in its own way. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/375 "2014-08-29T14:59:02Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Could **EasyPhil** be even stupider than I thought? That’d be fucking impressive in its own way. Since you have such a brilliant and fine mine, perhaps you or others can tell me or provide a link to the name of the hostage that memorized James Foley’s letter? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/376 "2014-08-29T15:05:26Z")
> [@EasyPhil](#): > > Since you have such a brilliant and fine mine, perhaps you or others can tell me or provide a link to the name of the hostage that memorized James Foley’s letter? You misspelled “mime”. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/377 "2014-08-29T15:25:11Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > You misspelled “mime”. No, I think it was just a typo. He meant “Nîmes.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/378 "2014-08-29T15:30:27Z")
> [@EasyPhil](#): > > Since you have such a brilliant and fine mine, perhaps you or others can tell me or provide a link to the name of the hostage that memorized James Foley’s letter? [Gee, that was was hard.](http://www.newsweek.com/foleys-final-letter-home-tells-his-hopes-freedom-266529) I had to type “James Foley letter” into Google and click the first link. > [@](#): > > Daniel Rye Ottosen, 25, a Danish photojournalist held with Foley for 13 months, called James Foley’s mother, Diane, shortly after he was released in June and dictated the letter to her over the phone. Your turn: what do you think happened in the video - do you still believe your dummy/costume head with makeup theory? Do you still think a Jewish cabal told WTC workers not to go to work on September 11, 2001? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/379 "2014-08-29T15:35:08Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > You misspelled “mime”. I thought it was “mink.” I hear **Marley** ’s pretty natty. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/380 "2014-08-29T15:44:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Your turn: what do you think happened in the video - do you still believe your dummy/costume head with makeup theory? Do you still think a Jewish cabal told WTC workers not to go to work on September 11, 2001? James Foley was not murdered or beheaded in that video. Experts have determined that the video was staged. Jewish cabal? You mean Israeli, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069.md?page=20)