# Yazzer Arafat got the Nobel peace prize? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 29, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380 "2011-03-29T14:20:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380/21 "2011-03-30T01:37:33Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Why did you cut the part of my post that makes it perfectly clear that I know why T.R. won the Prize, and that my first sentence was a joke? Because I didn’t think that part of your post made it perfectly clear about anything other than you were mistaken. If your jokes wallow in obscurity, maybe they need some smilies? ---
**Author:** ![Anticounterrevolutionary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Anticounterrevolutionary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anticounterrevolutionary)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380/22 "2011-03-30T01:49:14Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Do you know WHY Roosevelt won? > [@Frank](#): > > Nuking Hiroshima? You’re thinking of a different president. Roosevelt had polio. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380/23 "2011-03-30T01:51:05Z")
Stop razzing Yazzerz. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380/24 "2011-03-30T01:59:38Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Because I didn’t think that part of your post made it perfectly clear about anything other than you were mistaken. Oh, so now you’re going to come in and seriously defend your woosh? Feel free. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380/25 "2011-03-30T02:13:33Z")
> [@Anticounterrevolutionary](#): > > You’re thinking of a different president. Roosevelt had polio. Damn! You’re right. It was the other one that was shot by an elephant in his pajamas. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380/26 "2011-03-30T02:53:29Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Because I didn’t think that part of your post made it perfectly clear about anything other than you were mistaken. If your jokes wallow in obscurity, maybe they need some smilies? I’m not sure this is a widespread problem. **Frank** , just FYI, I didn’t have any trouble realize which parts of your post were serious and which were in jest. ---
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380/27 "2011-03-30T03:14:21Z")
I think it comes from two aspects of the prize - they are often given in the hope of what a person will accomplish, as much as for actual accomplishments, and they cannot be granted posthumously. So while it is nice when history validates their selections, that has never been part of the criteria. The prize committee has quite often used it to highlight various issues with the hope that the recipient will become a catalyst for progress, rather than reward any substantial progress amongst those issues. With Arafat I think it was a combination of both - to reward Arafat for participating in the Oslo Accords, and that by making him a Nobel laureate, he (and hopefully Fatah as well) would continue to back the Accords and the peace process. ---
**Author:** ![Anticounterrevolutionary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Anticounterrevolutionary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anticounterrevolutionary)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380/28 "2011-03-30T04:04:13Z")
That’s really insightful, **Agnostic Pagan**. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380/29 "2011-03-30T04:46:36Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Damn! You’re right. It was the other one that was shot by an elephant in his pajamas. Elephants don’t wear pajamas. ---
**Author:** ![Anticounterrevolutionary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Anticounterrevolutionary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anticounterrevolutionary)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380/30 "2011-03-30T04:52:13Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Elephants don’t wear pajamas. They wear Teddy’s ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380/31 "2011-03-30T05:35:43Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > And Kissinger. Jointly to Kissinger and Le Duc Tho. Le Duc Tho at least had the decency to decline it. > [@Anticounterrevolutionary](#): > > Alfred Nobel’s will stated the Peace prize should be awarded > > > [@](#): > > > > “…to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Which is the antithesis of what Alfred “the merchant of death” Nobel spent his entire life doing. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380/32 "2011-03-31T03:07:24Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Damn! You’re right. It was the other one that was shot by an elephant in his pajamas. Well, that and it was _Truman_ who nuked Hiroshima. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yazzer-arafat-got-the-nobel-peace-prize/576380.md?page=1)