# What is the west "missing" perception-wise in the battle against Islamic radicalism? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 11, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-west-missing-perception-wise-in-the-battle-against-islamic-radicalism/581562 "2011-05-11T20:53:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-west-missing-perception-wise-in-the-battle-against-islamic-radicalism/581562/41 "2011-05-15T02:39:21Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > It always struck me that we keep telling ourselves that we would never be cowed into submission but we think that people who are willing to strap on suicide vests can somehow be beaten into submission. **Demurjin** The Japanese did something very similar in WWII and they wound up being pretty thoroughly beaten into submission. They stuck with military targets but I believe the required determination was the same. Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-west-missing-perception-wise-in-the-battle-against-islamic-radicalism/581562/42 "2011-05-15T06:13:30Z")
> [@Testy](#): > > **Demurjin** > > The Japanese did something very similar in WWII and they wound up being pretty thoroughly beaten into submission. They stuck with military targets but I believe the required determination was the same. > > Regards > > Testy They did it when the were losing. And had no hope. Unless you want to nuke the entire Mid East the two situations are not comaparble. ---
**Author:** ![Naxos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/50afbb/32.png) [@Naxos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Naxos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-west-missing-perception-wise-in-the-battle-against-islamic-radicalism/581562/43 "2011-05-15T06:47:55Z")
> [@astro](#): > > What are we missing in this sort of cartoon snapshot of the enemy? Not missing, because we are very knowledgeable about human behavior in our age. What’ the West is ignoring is that religion is a mental disorder that needs treatment. The West thinks that their mental disorder is better than anyone else’s. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-west-missing-perception-wise-in-the-battle-against-islamic-radicalism/581562/44 "2011-05-15T07:44:04Z")
> [@humanafterall](#): > > Yes, but when the UN’s Partition Plan was voted on, the US voted in favor of the measure, and nearly all nations who had Islam as their main religion voted against it. Lots of countries voted in favor of the plan. That’s why it passed. The United States didn’t provide any more help by voting than the Soviet Union or New Zealand or Peru did. My other point was that nobody told the Palestinians that the Jews were coming to live there. The Jews were already living in Palestine and had been for centuries. All the UN did was divide the country up among the people who were living there. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-west-missing-perception-wise-in-the-battle-against-islamic-radicalism/581562/45 "2011-05-15T13:31:53Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > They did it when the were losing. And had no hope. Unless you want to nuke the entire Mid East the two situations are not comaparble. **AK84** I disagree. Regardless of your military situation, the determination and strength of will required to strap on a bomb and detonate it would be the same. Testy ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-west-missing-perception-wise-in-the-battle-against-islamic-radicalism/581562/46 "2011-05-15T19:20:23Z")
> [@Naxos](#): > > What’ the West is ignoring is that religion is a mental disorder that needs treatment. AFAIK, no one has ever **found** a treatment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-west-missing-perception-wise-in-the-battle-against-islamic-radicalism/581562.md?page=2)