I thought I would bring it up in here. Why I picked The Pit is surely this is a topic that does not lend to calm debating.
For those that want to know (no pun intended) it starts with this thread: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=101655
His op was as such:
< read some of his comments after people responded >
Since people gave you some “factual” stuff, let me let you in on an idea that crosses every human being in this world, except for maybe a few.
When a woman, in this case the women under the rule of the Taliban have been beaten, killed, maimed and made public spectacles for things minor. Showing their faces, having their skin show in public or being alone in public streets, the woman are not ready to “fight” unless they have the backing of those that can back them.
They fought in many ways that are unseen. They taught their girls to speak English among other academic topics we take for granted. They met secretly to adorn their faces in makeup and in groups of women that would care for one another, even though they should not have under the rule.
This was not the fact that these women didn’t care about their lives or those around them, they were beaten to submission both figuratively and literally.
Yes, many escaped to Pakistan or other places to live a better life. Many were enslaved by their own husbands who believed that the words the Taliban taught were truth. Many teenage boys were taught in Taliban schools and no doubt there were boys who would follow to the T what evil attrocities were taught them.
I think of a group of people that were stripped of all rights, dignity and their property, even the right to live, being the Jews. So, if you think that it’s some kind of weakness within the women of Afganistan you are so very wrong. This is the truth that should smack you upside the head when totalitariasm and geniune extremism happens. This is a reminder to all that even in the year 2001 we have crimes that are almost as bad if not as bad as those that occured during Nazi rule.
They were stripped of their rights, dignity and any property they may have been entitled to before the Taliban came into play. It is not easy for those who have been literally kicked in their teeth, made examples of or even living with a man who can not see that his wife is a human and not property.
I for one am very disappointed in what you have said. If it were that easy for a group of people to overcome such attrocities, then the Jewish peoples of Europe would have not lost people to the terror that was inflicted upon them. I don’t think that this is any different, yet a different set of rules and time.
Yes, we as a nation expect that we all own up and die for our beliefs. But I think your assumption that the women under the ruling of the Taliban own it to the world to stand up. Many have in their own ways, it’s just not obvious to you.
BTW, I have no cites for this, I only know what I have seen or heard on the news in the last few months.
If people are repressed it is very difficult to pull out of that for many.
To end this, never forget what extremist beliefs can do to a group of people. Be that the women in Afganistan or the Jews in Europe. It’s different in scope but human rights should never be considered something to look upon and say “Why didn’t they do something?” It’s real easy when you have a nice little home, a phone, a refridge, a car, a computer, a nice warm blanket, a job that pays you, a country that mostly gives you freedom, a park to play in, a remote to change your tv…I could go on but unless you can honestly say you have lived such a repressive life, I think you need to either shut up or try to learn why people are, involuntarily, placed in such situations.
It can happen to men too, damnit.
I’d expect La Principessa to ask a question like, “Mom, why didn’t those Afghan women fight back against the Taliban, all those years?”, but then, she’s only 11. And I’m sure that even at age 11, although she may not fully comprehend what the word “rape” means, she still understands that when the Bad Boys In Charge have guns and love to use them, and you ain’t got nuttin’, not even The Law on your side, you keep your mouth shut. Especially if you have kids of your own to protect.