Offensive? Not really Lola. A bit rambling and confused. The bit about fly farts was pretty stupid if he meant the historic citadel four times older that the United States. Good reply monstro. Of course it can be said that the two situations differ in that while the US didn’t really need any help from anybody, Iran probably need all the help it can lay their hands on. Beggars and choosers and all that. Also Duffer keeps talking about Jews, while everybody talks about Israelis. If Duffer can provide a link that has Khatami mentioning Jews in his refusal, it would indeed be racist or anti-semitic or whatever.
The US and Iran are enemies also. We protected the government that Khomeni overthrew, our head of state declared them part of the “axis of evil,” and we don’t even have diplomatic relations with them. Yet they’re happy to accept all sorts of help from us, including rescue workers. I think Mr. maximus’s accusation of racism is perfectly valid.
These two things are not really good for a comparison. Giuliani turned down the check when it was implied that the US’ policies had caused 9/11. This boiled down to “We are sorry this happened to you but it’s your own fault”. Some people believe that and some people don’t and Giuliana didn’t. Side note: When McKinney tried to get the check I cringed. I always wait to see what the next low point in politics will be and that one set the bar.
Iran is turning down Isreal’s aid because it comes from Israel and no other reason(If that’s wrong and there is another reason, please inform me). While the political reasoning is understandable, I’m curious to know what the people in the effected regions think about this. Would their response be, “We need the help. Why turn down Israel help?” or would it be “Good, we don’t need Israel’s aid”.
HOW FUCKING DARE YOU assume you know what others are thinking, you holier-than-thou arsehole. People are still under the rubble, and a racist, bigoted regime has REFUSED HELP from a nearby and capable nation because they are Jews? If only one extra person dies because of this fact, it is a great tragedy, and a victory for ignorance and bigotry. You defend this?
I thought I said I wasn’t slamming Iranians. My furor is against governments that refuse help based on racism. If Isreal were a Christian or Islamic country, would the aid be refused? Unless I missed a headline, Isreal is a Jewish country. Thereby that makes any refusal of Isreali help racist.
Allow me to make an analogy. Let’s pretend I’m a neo-Nazi skinhead that loves to beat up “different” people. I really screw up a Satan worshipping session and the candles get out of control. The Jewish family that lives next door (RL) offers my wife and I a place to stay till we get back on our feet, and I refuse because they’re Jews. Am I a racist? You know damn well I’d be creamed on this board.
I can’t stress enough that I feel and sympathize for the dead and, more so, for the survivors, I know what it feels like. But with German blood in me, I know how you can sympathize with an enemy. The Iranian guy heading out every day to the shop to fix a car probably doesn’t give a shit what I’m doing at home. And obviously doesn’t know I exist. (I can cite that by the fact he’s never sent a birthday card.)
The OP was supposed to be a rant about governments turning a blind eye to the safety of citizens based on ideology. I hope that cleared it up.
(BTW, I should have declared that I love that part of the world, Iraq included, it’s just the political/gov’t in place that has made it life-threatening for me to take my family to.)
That’s a pretty weak, and strange, analogy. Are you somehow equating Iranians with Neo-Nazis?
Neo-Nazis are by definition, racist, but since when are Neo-Nazis also Satanists? What self-respecting Neo-Nazi would live next door to a Jewish family? Why on earth would the Jewish family next door open their house to Neo-Nazis?
If you were a Neo-Nazi, you’d be creamed on this board well before you turned down any offer of charity from a Jewish family.
Oh, Gluteus, you completley missed my point. Please (PLEASE) show me where I equated Iranians to Jews. Look up the definition of ‘analogy’ and go from there. I had an attitude of starting this response in a very good mood, just hoping to point you to see that I’m not getting to personal stuff. But, now I’m getting pissed. And I refuse to get into a “keyboard-pissing-match” with you.
please re-read the earlier post. I agree with you on too many posts to want to make you an enemy. Just please re-read everything to know what the post is supposed to be about
I don’t need to read your post again, but perhaps you need to read mine.
I didn’t miss your point, I’m disagreeing with it. I don’t agree that Iran’s refusal of Israeli aid constitutes racism. Folly, perhaps. Since they’ve accepted U.S. aid, and since the U.S. has quite a large concentration of personnel, equipment, and supplies in the vicinity at the moment, Iran probably doesn’t need Israeli aid, and can therefore afford to make a political statement by refusing it. The Israeli aid offer was a political statement, and Iran answered it.
I’m not interested in a pissing contest, either. Since I already understand the definition of the word, I questioned your analogy. You went from “Iranians are racist towards Israelis”, to “Neo-Nazis Satanists are racist towards Jews”… since you have insisted that “Israel = Jews”, your analogy would seem to suggest that “Iranians = Neo-Nazi Satanists”, because the constant in your analogy was Israeli/Jews. I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt by calling your analogy weak, and by sincerely asking if the what seemed to be your implied meaning was correct.
Once again, I understand your point, but I disagree. So, I guess I’ll leave it at that.
ok, I see where I went wrong, the neo_nazi thing was the analogy of my family to my neighbors. this is how I get into so much trouble here. It didn’t have anything to do with the earthquake. I was trying to compare my family refusing shelter based on the religious beleifs of a family trying to help us. The Satanist thing was hyperbole, trying to make a point, I never compared to Iranians as Satanists. Like I said, I have no problem with Iranians, just the government/Ayatollahs.
Should my town get hit with such a disaster, I’ll be thanking any country that even offers help. I knew this would be taken wrong. To expound, I saw that a mother was found dead holding an infant that lived. I cried. I lost a brother when he was 2 and took that as a gunuine miracle. Life is so random, I just do see how help is turned away so carelessly.\
I’d apologize, but it’s just too emotionally charged for me. Maybe that’s the problem.
Huh? Are you chanting Sailor? Praying perhaps … or cursing?
Even such a horrible disaster as this earthquake can be used for some good. The Iranians could have embraced the Israeli help (offered without any overt strings as far as I know) and used the opportunity to mend past differences, an opening for peaceful relations. As was the case when earthquake hit Turkey and Greece, which was followed up by a flurry of earthquake diplomacy and a lasting improved relations. Instead the Iranians, or the pathetic Iranian government, chose to bite the helping hand, and nurse old grievances like a three year old child screaming for his pacifier. An old man clinging to his cane. Pathetic.
One can hope the Iranians will use the opportunity to deal with their government, much the same way Chernobyl was something of a catalyst for the following Soviet collapse.
Also, given international help is a zero sum game – help given to one country is help not given to another country. One is forced to wonder if the Iranians really is in need of help, or the help could not be spend better elsewhere, when they apparently think they’re in a position to pick and choose from whom they’ll accept assistance.