Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id MAA29997 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 17 Sep 2001 12:14:23 +0100 Message-ID: <3BA5DA05.89980DF7@bioinf.man.ac.uk> Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 12:09:57 +0100 From: Chris Taylor <Christopher.Taylor@man.ac.uk> Organization: University of Manchester X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.77 [en] (Windows NT 5.0; U) X-Accept-Language: en To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: Saudi Billionaire Osama Bin Laden is another CIA creature References: <007801c13e2c$960e7ea0$6501a8c0@rcn.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Sender: fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
That was an extremely cogent bit of summary. I think you can also blame
the British (inter alia) for some of this shit as well, it's just that
by the time the terrorists have modern tools, the US is the most visible
target.
When family members react to a loved one's murder they are usually in a
rage at first, but then want to know why it happened (as in why the perp
did it), and so I wonder how long it will be before the vast middle of
America will ask that question, or will they ever - is 'evilness' enough
here? The media may have a role in this - so far it's been ~60% shots of
the wreckage, ~30% interviews with those poor sods in limbo, and ~10%
Bush saying he's going to kick the shit out of someone. Noone on the
media has asked why yet (in the sense of what motivated their
attackers), which I can understand, but I hope the question doesn't get
forgotten.
Also, to wax memetic (fitness of terrorist/'martyr' memes) for a moment;
the hardest the Brits tried to really 'get heavy' with the terrorists in
Northern Ireland was internment (imprisonment without trial), which
generated more hate and resulted in increased recruitment for the IRA
etc.. Similar thing happened with the right wing militias vs FBI/ATF. If
we (and it will be we) go to kill lots of arabs, it'll be the second
best recruitment tool Bin Lid and his ilk could wish for (obviously
being involved in something like the recent atrocity is now the best
tool). For every terrorist you stomp on, you grow two more.
Actually I think that be they called 'martyrs' or whatever, they are
after their fifteen minutes of fame and a seat in heaven. That's selfish
behaviour in the extreme, and a predictable response from kids without
prospects I suppose. Not very noble though. What actually astonishes me
about this whole thing is how they could've stayed dedicated over
several years - most suicide bombers seem to go straight from the cleric
to the crime with no chance for second thoughts, and cults never let you
out of the compound for fear of the programming wearing off - these
'folks' (come back Bill fgs) kept going over years, in Europe and the
US. Exposed to, and resisting, the best temptations us decadent WASPs
could offer.
One last thought - is this growing hate anti-muslim or anti brown skin
(as opposed to black if you'll allow me the shorthand) sentiment? Hindus
have already been attacked. We desperately need some analysis here (not
us here, on the media I mean).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris Taylor (chris@bioinf.man.ac.uk)
http://bioinf.man.ac.uk/ »people»chris
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