Evil Constructionism in the US
Since how and when Ahmadinejad became America’s enemy most Americans would not tell you. But for some reason many are adamant that the Iranian president is the evil.
At least that’s how the media portrays Iran’s authoritarian president. Of course a few would defend Ahmadinejad’s sinister denial of the Holocaust, but comparing him to Hitler and calling him “the evil” is pretty silly. What’s worse is that the media seems to be behind this evil-constructionism and there are few voices that question America’s paranoia for the authoritarian president and needless to say the millions of people he represents.
How is Ahmadinejad worse from Sudan’s president who is massacring millions of people? Why don’t we invade Sudan for committing a genocide?
I want to invite you to read a Huffington Post entry by Cenk Uygur, the main host of a radio show called “The Young Turks.” Uygur is one of the few dissidents who asks a question America’s “liberal” media forgets or doesn’t dare to.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust. Let me ask this provocative question: so what?
Of course, I understand that people have a visceral reaction to that claim. It is grossly untrue, offensive and ignorant. But we are also told how dangerous Ahmadinejad is because he doesn’t believe in the Holocaust. I fail to see that connection.There are countless people all across the world that deny many things that are patently true — and we don’t go to war with them over it. Senator Inhofe (R-OK) denies global warming. As far as I know we are not planning on invading Oklahoma over it.But Ahmadinejad is the leader of an important country in the Middle East. Well, so is Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister of Turkey. He denies the Armenian Genocide. Should we invade Turkey? I bet I can find you at least half a dozen world leaders who deny one genocide or another. Should we suit up and restart the draft? We’ve got a lot of countries to attack.
Uygur’s reference to invading Turkey for denying the Armenian Genocide is to the point. And I type these words with hope in my heart for Turkish-Armenian reconciliation because Uygur is himself Turkish-American, and he himself has denied the Armenian Genocide in the past and has apparently overcome his nationalistic beliefs about history.
Now it is time for us Americans to overcome our nationalistic, evil-constructionist traditions about making enemies. Condemn Ahmadinejad for denying the Holocaust; condemn any person, especially those in power, for denying any genocide, but think about the future of your children. Do we want another war of terror?
The Myotis on 26 Sep 2007 at 3:34 am #
I have to agree with you there.
Ahmadinejad may be fairly radical, but he is hardly more radical than many such leaders that the US considers allies. The US, and possibly the western world as a whole, seem to be obsessed with the Holocaust and anti-antisemitism, and are virtually blind to many other forms of intolerance or ethnic hatred.
Media sensationalism may drive many believe that Iran launching nukes at our precious ally Israel is an imminent reality, but even if we interpret Mr. Ahmadinejad’s words the way we want to hear them, the likelihood of a man driving his country into a global war due to his dislike for one little state is little to none. Iran does not pose 1/6th the threat to the US that brainwashed cult-of-personality North Korea does.
The people of the US are making a mountain out of a molehill. Do you think that if Erdogan showed up to make a speech we could get half as many people to show up and protest? Don’t you think if we showed up and called him ‘evil’ and compared him to Hitler, we would look a little silly? Our media treats these protests like they are the appropriate response. I would say it is about time we get over ourselves and our irrational fear of all of Israel’s foes.