GOP MindWorm: "How can we talk to people who . . . "

[ProfessorPlum]

Here is a http://www.newshounds.us/2006/07/24/fox_undercuts_wesley_clarks_sane_words.php">short, edited clip of General Wesley Clark trying to reason with a bunch of Faux news viewers concerning the Middle East, and to explain why “Kill them all and let God sort it out” isn’t necessarily a good policy position. I suppose he makes some headway. What is interesting about this clip is what the audience members say. Clark tries to explain why diplomacy and dialog with other countries is a good thing. But the audience keeps throwing up their hands in despair at ever being able to communicate with the people of Syria, or Lebanon, or Iran. “How do you negotiate with people who want to kill you?” seems to be the battle cry of everyone who is too lazy to do the hard work of talking with their fellow human beings, and would rather just shoot them, or bomb them, or drop white phosphorus (which creates burns which don’t stop burning, even on babies!) on them. How wonderful that this particular sentiment has embedded itself into the populace, and how convenient that it works in the favor of this administration.

The act of negotiation, which can be accomplished with 99.99% of the world’s population, requires a de facto humanizing of the people on the other side of the table. You must acknowledge them, you must listen to them, and you must try to think like them. You must try to understand them, and this is something that the Bush administration must not allow. And so “how do you talk to people who are (threatening us, terrorists, Muslims, brown-skinned, ‘crazy’(see Kim Jong Il), bent on destroying our way of life, etc.)” is tossed out into the public conversation, to show just how futile all that “talking” is anyway.

Better to just kill others. Kudos for Clark for trying to reason with the Faux News crowd.

[PaDem]

1. what is wrong with these people?

I don't agree with General Clark on the Israel issue, but some of the commentary from the participants and the host are absurd. Has the Syrian government ever stated that they'l like to wipe out America? News to me.

[ProfessorPlum]

2. It's the meme that people use to justify their lazy, killer attitudes

towards the Middle East problem.

[elehhhhna]

6. like "How can we help the stupid Louisianans who wouldn't leave?"

remember.

[yellerpup]

3. Of course we must engage in dialog

Every war has to end. Evenutally even the most avid warrior loses his/her taste for blood. We are supposed to use our brains for thinking and our mouths for more than eating. Sooner or later it all comes down to making peace and you can't make peace without talking. So, cut the crap, stop shooting, and start talking NOW.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. The reason people like the 'hostess' and the woman in the audience say,

"...they want to kill us," is because that is the message pushed from the coward in the White House and his gang of thieves. I grew up during the Cold War, rolling under my school desk. Why did the US population buy into this crap and now live in fear? Because Bush & Co. are such dull-witted incompetent fools, all they could come up with after 9-11 was FEAR!!

[unpossibles]

5. huh - I would assume that most people wonder how they can talk

to Americans since we seem to want to kill almost everybody.

At least until they actually do talk to Americans and realize we're not all asshat douchebag "cowboy" pretenders.

[gratuitous]

7. "They wanna kill us!"

"So we have to kill them back first!"

And totally without recognizing that they're saying the exact same thing they're accusing the other side of saying. So, now that everyone is convinced that everyone else wants to kill them, the profiteers and the war-mongers can get on with the real business at hand: Making a profit off of other people's death and misery.