# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/81 "2014-08-22T14:48:20Z")
> [@Bouncer](#): > > Oh! Well… no. I’ve been doing it since back on the old wildcat and Telnet BBS messaging boards where you had to dial-in. I’ve been doing it on this board since back before it was a paid board. > > Sooooo… no. You young-uns can just adjust, or foad. Either way your issue is not mine. 🙂 > > Regards, > -Bouncer- > ps: Young whippersnappers… muttermutterMORESPANKINGSISAY!..muttermutter. FTR, I have no opinion on the matter one way or another. I just thought it was obvious what PlainJain was referring to. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/82 "2014-08-22T15:02:01Z")
> [@Bouncer](#): > > Okay, but here is the follow-on question. Is ISIS/ISIL known for faking murder scenes for any reason, much less financial gain? Are they known, in any way, for faking their brutality. And the answer seems to be no. They aren’t known for faking anything. Including crucifixion, beheading, mass executions, rape etc etc. None of that is being faked. I agree. I was specifically addressing the claim (in post #43) that doing this would “_make no sense at all in the context of their demands_”. > [@](#): > > So why would they go completely out of their way in this case? Because of a ransom they know they aren’t going to get? It makes no sense. His family hasn’t 100 million to ransom him and the US Gov’t wouldn’t let them if they did (how exactly do you transfer 100M without the USG knowing about it, walk into a Hawala with pallets of fifties?). I assume they don’t know they’re not going to get the ransom, or they wouldn’t have asked for it to begin with. $135M sounds like a stretch in any event (although I believe they were asking his employer to pay it, not the family) but that was probably negotiable (plus they also wanted a prisoner release). As I noted earlier in this thread, European governments have been effectively paying a lot of ransom money to al-Qaeda, and while the US government has not been playing, it’s not unreasonable for ISIS to think this might change, especially with a relatively high profile guy. And it’s also possible that the Bergdahl deal indicates (or was thought to indicate) a bit of a shift in position. ---
**Author:** ![dude77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@dude77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dude77)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/83 "2014-08-22T16:05:16Z")
I’m kind of siding with op on this one … something does seem off about this one … 1. if they’re trying to ‘get back at the yankees’ for the bombings, why not show all the gruesome details of what entails a beheading … I’m guilty of watching some of these and the actual beheading part has a major dramatic effect … it’s even more horrifying than seeing the decapitated head … especially since the head has a calm, almost sleep like expression on its face … it would be much more effective and horrific showing the actual beheading … 2. like op mentioned, you see absolutely no blood when he starts sawing at his neck … this is complete nonsense … you would start seeing very obvious blood start gushing or streaming out of his neck the second he pierces the neck … how can anyone even argue this ? … 3. for those who say, why would IS fake this when they do actual beheadings anyways … and yes, I agree with that … there’s no point to faking it and going through all the hassle of setting up a fake body etc when you can just … cut his head off … but now here’s the counter to that … 4. what if this wasn’t IS ? … then suddenly it makes much more sense that it could be faked because it’s another entity trying to bait the U.S. … of course, another possibility is that this was one of their ‘mock’ executions and that’s why you didn’t see any blood because they weren’t doing the deed this time … and then later actually did it … I don’t know, just food for thought ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/84 "2014-08-22T16:10:25Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I’m not aware that they threatened to kill him WRT the bombings. They had him read a statement about the bombings before he was killed, and - here it comes again - it wouldn’t make much sense for them to fail to pass that demand along. > [@](#): > > All of the above is what I assume is in fact true. What I think is extremely unlikely but theoretically plausible (in that it would serve the aims of ISIS - which is the question I was addressing) is that the video is faked, and the guy is still alive, because all of the above would be accomplished by people thinking the guy was dead. The rationale for actually keeping him alive would be that once the current bombing campaign was headed off, they could wait until the situation dies down and then return to their original intention of using him as a hostage. If you’ve already admitted you fake the killing of a hostage, you can’t expect anyone to take your next threat seriously. Even if you follow through. This is stupid, but then, this entire tangent has been stupid, so I won’t indulge you further. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/85 "2014-08-22T16:26:21Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > They had him read a statement about the bombings before he was killed, and - here it comes again - it wouldn’t make much sense for them to fail to pass that demand along. They had him read the statement because of the threat to the next hostage. Between when the US publically contemplated bombing and when they actually did was a very short amount of time. > [@](#): > > If you’ve already admitted you fake the killing of a hostage, you can’t expect anyone to take your next threat seriously. Even if you follow through. I think ISIS has a track record such that there’s zero danger of anyone not taking them seriously, even if they fake one guy. > [@](#): > > This is stupid, but then, this entire tangent has been stupid, so I won’t indulge you further. What’s mostly stupid was your initial remark. You said something stupid and then dug in rather than back off. In brief, nothing out of the ordinary. ---
**Author:** ![JesterX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JesterX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JesterX)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/86 "2014-08-22T16:43:00Z")
I think the video is real, just that Foley was actually killed OFF-camera. Everyone’s been commenting on the high production value of the video. It’s “producers” probably knew the high gore factor of an actual beheading would ensure the video not being widely distributed. So they simulated it just for the camera. ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/87 "2014-08-22T16:53:39Z")
U.S. intelligence has confirmed that Foley is beheaded and dead. But I still find the video odd. Maybe the actual execution did not go so well, and the video is of a practice session. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/88 "2014-08-22T17:26:36Z")
> [@JesterX](#): > > I think the video is real, just that Foley was actually killed OFF-camera. Everyone’s been commenting on the high production value of the video. It’s “producers” probably knew the high gore factor of an actual beheading would ensure the video not being widely distributed. So they simulated it just for the camera. The video is real in the sense that it exists, it however does not show James Foley being beheaded or murdered. Anyone that thinks that it does has not seen it and therefore is ignorant of it’s actual contents. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/89 "2014-08-22T17:34:55Z")
> [@EasyPhil](#): > > The video is real in the sense that it exists, it however does not show James Foley being beheaded or murdered. So what? It doesn’t show the physical act through to the conclusion. Great. You just won the Pedant of the Day award. That doesn’t in the least address the CT-like bullshit the OP proposes. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/90 "2014-08-22T17:35:16Z")
> [@JesterX](#): > > I think the video is real, just that Foley was actually killed OFF-camera. Everyone’s been commenting on the high production value of the video. It’s “producers” probably knew the high gore factor of an actual beheading would ensure the video not being widely distributed. So they simulated it just for the camera. I think there actually is a useful discussion to be had on the strangeness of Foley’s final speech, the video’s rather striking, er, _mise en scene_, for lack of a better phrase, and the rather deft use of what was probably a PC-based editing program, but the OP’s overall belligerence and inability to argue a point beyond “because I said so”, means it probably won’t happen here. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/91 "2014-08-22T17:46:20Z")
> [@EasyPhil](#): > > The video is real in the sense that it exists, it however does not show James Foley being beheaded or murdered. Anyone that thinks that it does has not seen it and therefore is ignorant of it’s actual contents. Do you believe Foley is still alive? ---
**Author:** ![JesterX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JesterX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JesterX)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/92 "2014-08-22T17:51:59Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I think there actually is a useful discussion to be had on the strangeness of Foley’s final speech, the video’s rather striking, er, _mise en scene_, for lack of a better phrase, and the rather deft use of what was probably a PC-based editing program, but the OP’s overall belligerence and inability to argue a point beyond “because I said so”, means it probably won’t happen here. Actually, since I initially raised that question about Foley’s speech, a lot of posters made some good points about why he would do it. He could’ve been trying to avoid a more tortuous death or he could’ve been trying to spare another hostage, etc. Those seem reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/93 "2014-08-22T17:57:38Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Real violence is ugly, it’s gross, and it’s nothing like the way most violence is portrayed in Hollywood movies. But it exists, and that’s a fact. You know what, brainless internet dude, about 99,5% of this planet’s population know that without watching beheadings on their spare time. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/94 "2014-08-22T17:58:10Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Do you believe Foley is still alive? I really don’t know, I just know that he isn’t killed in this video. He could very well be dead by any number of means at any time during which he’s been in captivity, but it doesn’t happen in this video. One also needs to question why said video is censored when the contents are basically PG13 and far more graphic real killings and murders appear on sites at this very moment. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/95 "2014-08-22T18:02:51Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > So what? It doesn’t show the physical act through to the conclusion. > > Great. You just won the Pedant of the Day award. > > That doesn’t in the least address the CT-like bullshit the OP proposes. It’s plainly obvious that he’s not killed on this video and magic tricks aren’t even being used here. As for the Conspiracy Theory, you have to ask yourself why they’re censoring a PG13 video. It could just be they don’t want the propaganda that it represents to spread out to the public. You also have to question anyone that’s basing their outrage, decisions and analysis based upon this video that doesn’t show anyone being beheaded or killed. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/96 "2014-08-22T18:04:36Z")
Say it’s obvious a few more times, **EasyPhil**. That’ll definitely make it become obvious. Hooray for CTers! ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/97 "2014-08-22T18:05:40Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Say it’s obvious a few more times, **EasyPhil**. That’ll definitely make it become obvious. Hooray for CTers! You can’t effectively argue anything about the video if you haven’t seen it. FYI: I have one post in this thread where I say it’s obvious. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/98 "2014-08-22T18:09:28Z")
> [@EasyPhil](#): > > You can’t effectively argue anything about the video if you haven’t seen it. Darn. That means I can only point and laugh at someone pushing a moronic conspiracy theory. Can I really afford to take that chance? Those guys have been right so often in the past! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/99 "2014-08-22T18:10:04Z")
> [@EasyPhil](#): > > I really don’t know, I just know that he isn’t killed in this video. He could very well be dead by any number of means at any time during which he’s been in captivity, but it doesn’t happen in this video. If he’s dead, it hardly matters. Seriously, what’s your point? ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-james-foley-beheading-video-is-so-incredibly-fake-how-is-anyone-buying-this-bullshit/696069/100 "2014-08-22T18:10:40Z")
This is 911 trutherism, or Moon landing denialism. Utterly ignorant amateurs convinced they have seen through the conspiracy by amazing, and new-found technical knowledge. [Dunning-Krueger](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect) in slow motion. [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=4) [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=6)