# Was Osama bin Laden a very warm, nice, friendly looking guy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 2, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486 "2011-05-02T16:27:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/21 "2011-05-02T19:31:48Z")
Meh. Not inclined to one end or the other. Some of his [extended family](http://rriderlausd.org/blog2/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Wafa-Bin-Laden.jpg) on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/22 "2011-05-02T19:34:44Z")
Kola Boof says he has a very large penis. Some people think that’s nice. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/23 "2011-05-04T01:17:02Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > His upper lip always seemed to be curled into a perpetual sneer. Course, it’s probably more relaxed now. I get the impression that the “sneer” is mostly a result of his large upper lip. I’ve noticed that some people who have large upper lips can look like they are sneering when their face is actually in a neutral position. At least I think that may be the case in the photo **Schmendrik** linked to. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/24 "2011-05-04T01:26:18Z")
I think it’s most definitely possible that he could be a nice warm charming person AND you be crazy. Can’t say for sure, tho. Best wishes, hh ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/25 "2011-05-05T15:35:59Z")
That photo with him smiling is the first time I’ve ever seen him not look menacing or at least generic. It doesn’t surprise me that most of his pictures I’ve seen are of him looking that way, but it does seem odd that you’ve had a different experience. Where do these warmer looking pictures come from? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/26 "2011-05-05T15:42:22Z")
I’m not seeing it either. I think he looks evil. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/27 "2011-05-05T15:56:00Z")
I don’t know about “very warm and friendly,” but I think he had nice eyes. I also remember there was a poster here who got ran out of town after 9/11 for saying she thought he was an attractive man. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/28 "2011-05-05T15:59:59Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > My overwhelming impression whenever I see most photos or videos of OBL (other than some of the taped messages where he’s staring straight at the camera) is that he looks very warm, friendly, nice, caring, etc. Am I crazy? I’d say he looked harmless enough. On a personal level, he had a good reputation, which is one reason he was an effective leader. There is no contradiction here. Most evil people aren’t slavering monsters with open sores for faces. They are generally fairly normal people who, for personal or ideological reasons, believe some other humans do not have any rights. This is what allows them to commit atrocities without feeling guilt. They are capable of being both moral and personable within their own sphere. I’m not aware of any evidence that suggests OBL was a sociopath or psychopath, and therefore lacking a conscience. If he was, it would be unlikely he would have left his position of priviledge. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to call him an evil man. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/29 "2011-05-05T16:30:12Z")
He was very religious. That covers up a lot of scars to many people. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/30 "2011-05-07T18:39:02Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > I’d say he looked harmless enough. On a personal level, he had a good reputation, which is one reason he was an effective leader. > > There is no contradiction here. Most evil people aren’t slavering monsters with open sores for faces. They are generally fairly normal people who, for personal or ideological reasons, believe some other humans do not have any rights. This is what allows them to commit atrocities without feeling guilt. They are capable of being both moral and personable within their own sphere. > > I’m not aware of any evidence that suggests OBL was a sociopath or psychopath, and therefore lacking a conscience. If he was, it would be unlikely he would have left his position of priviledge. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to call him an evil man. Couldn’t have said it better myself. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/31 "2011-05-07T19:10:54Z")
Most reports I’ve heard from people who’ve met him describe him as being pretty mellow and soft-spoken, almost to the point of seeming shy. Here’s [one of his later vidoes](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2259416342899056680#). Here’s [interview](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F-GUQr4u8Q) from the 90’s (it starts around 5:30). In both he’s pretty quite, even when accusing the US of killing children, threatening to kill US troops, etc. Certainly a long way from the demeanor of spittle-flecked demagogues like Hitler ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/32 "2011-05-07T22:59:07Z")
ObL happened to be very much my type, and bore a slight resemblance to my partner. I am very much attracted to very tall, thin, lanky guys, and would have happily volunteered to dominate him sexually. Actually in this case the “domination” would have become “torture,” and his demise would not have been a simple gunshot to the head. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/33 "2011-05-08T02:39:44Z")
Definitely. I’ve caught a lot of shit over the years (and, as would be expected, especially in the months right after 9/11) for saying that he looked like such a nice man. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/34 "2011-05-08T10:23:40Z")
i’m kind of surprised by the replies. i have always found his image very unsettling. i suppose it could be my mind applying the horrors i know he’s responsible for to his image, but i don’t know. i don’t feel anger or hatred when i see a photo of him, more like a sense of dread. to put it bluntly, the guy has always freaked me the fuck out. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/35 "2011-05-08T11:27:17Z")
Looking at the his [home videos](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13325262) that have been released, I’m thinking “what an endorsement for Just-For-Men!”. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/36 "2011-05-08T13:30:07Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > ObL happened to be very much my type, and bore a slight resemblance to my partner. I am very much attracted to very tall, thin, lanky guys, and would have happily volunteered to dominate him sexually. Actually in this case the “domination” would have become “torture,” and his demise would not have been a simple gunshot to the head. He was 6’4 and trained in unarmed combat from the first Afghan war. And Arab. Volunteering to dominate him sexually would NOT end well for you. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/37 "2011-05-08T13:47:41Z")
He did have lovely eyes. I’ve thought so for years. Shame such nice eyes were wasted on the likes of him. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/38 "2011-05-08T14:15:54Z")
Evil murderers who DON’T have charisma end up as serial killing drifters. Bin Laden obviously must have had some charisma or else he wouldn’t have attrracted so many followers. Evil masterminds who organized war and terror are rarely repulsive or unlikeable on a personal level, because if they were you’d never have heard of them. Now, I am pleased to note, he is attracting scavengers. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/39 "2011-05-08T16:11:44Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > He was 6’4 and trained in unarmed combat from the first Afghan war. And Arab. Volunteering to dominate him sexually would NOT end well for you. I would imagine the scenario would have involved bin Laden being delivered for the D/s session already trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey by Seal Team Six, who would stick around to make sure things went well. ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486/40 "2011-05-08T16:41:17Z")
I hate to admit it, but he has a tender look. Always bothered me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-osama-bin-laden-a-very-warm-nice-friendly-looking-guy/580486.md?page=3)