sensible and reasonable people
- - | 20.09.2004 19:49
Mr Blair said: "Whatever the disagreements about the first conflict in Iraq to remove Saddam, in this conflict now taking place in Iraq, this is the crucible in which the future of this global terrorism will be determined. Either it will succeed and this terrorism will grow, or we will succeed, the Iraqi people will succeed and this global terrorism will be delivered a huge defeat.
"I do say to people in this new Iraqi conflict, whatever the disagreements about the removal of Saddam, there is only one side for *sensible and reasonable* people to be on. Now is not the time for the international community to divide or disagree but to come together behind what is happening in Iraq."
- Optimism in London, carnage in Iraq, Independent, 20 September 2004
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=563627
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A permanent feature of media reporting is that the words of Western leaders are reported at face value, while the hidden agendas behind the words of our 'enemies' are remorselessly sought out and exposed. On BBC's News At Ten O'Clock, John Simpson (of Kabul) described a visit to Johannesburg by Iraq's deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz. Simpson said:
"What they [the Iraqis] want to do is to give the impression that they are being *reasonable and sensible*... in order to show that they are innocent. Because they know that works, that really does schmooz people here. Tariq Aziz has been schmoozing people ever since he arrived, and doing it very satisfactorily from his point of view." (Simpson, September 3, 2002)
This was delivered by the urbane Simpson in his usual self-assured, well-educated voice - we would not readily associate him or his words with burned and mutilated bodies. But consider this: would Simpson or any other BBC or ITN reporter +ever+ describe Colin Powell or Jack Straw, or Bush or Blair, as trying hard "to give the impression that they are being *reasonable and sensible*... Because they know that works, that really does schmooz people here"?
The answer is a flat 'no' - Western leaders must always be treated with due deference and respect. It is because of this deep bias (unnoticed because omnipresent) presenting the reasonable good guys, 'us', pitted against the ludicrous bad guys, 'them', that Western nations are able to kill and maim thousands of Third World people with massive military violence, comparatively unhindered by public dissent. Our point is not that the Iraqi's are reasonable; it is that our leaders should not be reflexively portrayed as reasonable.
- How To Legitimise War, Iraq And The British Media, by David Edwards, September 04, 2002
http://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=2286§ionID=15
"I do say to people in this new Iraqi conflict, whatever the disagreements about the removal of Saddam, there is only one side for *sensible and reasonable* people to be on. Now is not the time for the international community to divide or disagree but to come together behind what is happening in Iraq."
- Optimism in London, carnage in Iraq, Independent, 20 September 2004
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=563627 -----------
A permanent feature of media reporting is that the words of Western leaders are reported at face value, while the hidden agendas behind the words of our 'enemies' are remorselessly sought out and exposed. On BBC's News At Ten O'Clock, John Simpson (of Kabul) described a visit to Johannesburg by Iraq's deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz. Simpson said:
"What they [the Iraqis] want to do is to give the impression that they are being *reasonable and sensible*... in order to show that they are innocent. Because they know that works, that really does schmooz people here. Tariq Aziz has been schmoozing people ever since he arrived, and doing it very satisfactorily from his point of view." (Simpson, September 3, 2002)
This was delivered by the urbane Simpson in his usual self-assured, well-educated voice - we would not readily associate him or his words with burned and mutilated bodies. But consider this: would Simpson or any other BBC or ITN reporter +ever+ describe Colin Powell or Jack Straw, or Bush or Blair, as trying hard "to give the impression that they are being *reasonable and sensible*... Because they know that works, that really does schmooz people here"?
The answer is a flat 'no' - Western leaders must always be treated with due deference and respect. It is because of this deep bias (unnoticed because omnipresent) presenting the reasonable good guys, 'us', pitted against the ludicrous bad guys, 'them', that Western nations are able to kill and maim thousands of Third World people with massive military violence, comparatively unhindered by public dissent. Our point is not that the Iraqi's are reasonable; it is that our leaders should not be reflexively portrayed as reasonable.
- How To Legitimise War, Iraq And The British Media, by David Edwards, September 04, 2002
http://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=2286§ionID=15
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