906) Rules of Political Correctness : Israeli-Arab Conflict

As the conflict in Lebanon gathers momentum, the theatre of war is not limited bordering lands or the skies but the internet-savvy people from both the sides have brought it to the world wide web, attacking each others’ stated positions, lamenting the bigotry of those who do not agree with their views and accusing the media of biased coverage, etc.

Almost anything goes and the medium increasingly in vogue is ‘blogging’. Its personal, easy to write as well as read, enjoys increasing popularity and is devoid of any restriction and rules on style, manner or content.

Abdullah, a Lebanese youth living in Beirut bemoans that Lebanon is being held responsible for the conflict in his blog titled “Double standards: sad but true” that strikes one for its ironic tone.

Below is an excerpt from Abdullah’s blog.

Food for thought: Why is it OK for the USA to send bombs to Israel and first aid to Lebanon, at the same time???

Hello!!!

It is with your bombs that Lebanese civilians are being hurt, and now we are supposed to treat them with your first aid supplies???

Rule # 1 : In the Middle East, it is always the Arabs that attack first, and it's always Israel who defends itself. This is called "retaliation".

Rule # 2: The Arabs, whether Palestinians or Lebanese, are not allowed to kill Israelis. This is called "terrorism"

Rule # 3: Israel has the right to kill Arab civilians, this is called "self-defense", or these days "collateral damage".

Rule # 4: When Israel kills too many civilians. The Western world calls for restraint. This is called the "reaction of the international community".

Rule # 5: Palestinians and Lebanese do not have the right to capture Israeli military, not even a limited number, not even 1 or 2.

Rule # 6: Israel has the right to capture as many Palestinians as they want (Palestinians: around 10000 to date, 300 of which are children, Lebanese: 1000s to date, being held without trial). There is no limit; there is no need for proof of guilt or trial. All that is needed is the magic word: "terrorism"

Rule # 7: When you say "Hezbollah", always be sure to add "supported by Syria and Iran"

Rule # 8 : When you say "Israel", never say "supported by the USA, the UK and other European countries", for people (God forbid) might believe this is not an equal conflict

Rule # 9: When it comes to Israel, don't mention the words "occupied territories", "UN resolutions", "Geneva conventions". This could distress the audience of Fox.

Rule # 10: Israelis speak better English than Arabs. This is why we let them speak out as much as possible, so that they can explain rules 1 through 9. This is called "neutral journalism".

Rule # 11: If you don't agree with these rules or if you favor the Arab side over the Israeli side, you must be a very dangerous anti-Semite. You may even have to make a public apology if you express your honest opinion (isn't democracy wonderful?)


http://colddesert.blogspot.com/2006/07/double-standards.html
http://mayamb.spaces.msn.com/PersonalSpace.aspx

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Kindly forwarded by Mr Sukru Server Aya