Alan Jackson, America, and Ignorance

[lunamoth]

I still fail to see how I've been insensitive.

I come from a city that was attacked not for one day, but four years. It lost not several buildings, but almost all of them. It buried not 3,000 people, but 12,000. I still went to prayers yesterday, both to mosque and to church, in memory of those who died in New York and Washington. I still wore an "I Love New York" pin my shirt all day. I still laid flowers, I still watched the television specials. I'm not even American.

What did you do in memory of Srebrenica? And to call me insensitive.

You have been insensitive, whether you will ever be able to accept it or not.

I was much more ignorant of world affairs and geography during the war in Bosnia than I am today, to my shame. However, the fact that I needed to get out my map to learn where Bosnia was did not stop me from donating money and supplies to help Bosnians. It did not stop the people of Rochester from taking in refugees and supporting them in their loss and suffering. It did not stop my mother-in-law from helping displaced Bosnian children learn Enlgish. It did not stop me and millions of other Americans from praying for an end to the hell going on there.

I'm not a raving patriot, but picking on this simple song of lament really burns my noodle.

lunamoth

 

[Ryan2065]

Not sure what your point is. The difference between perceptions of the two events is that that latter was taken WAY out of its jurisdiction to invoke the involvement of the rest of the world.

It was a point to show that American's are ignorant of world events. As one comedian put it (I forget his name)

"Us Americans are really ******** when it comes to world politics. I mean I hear that 500 people are killed when a bus drove off a cliff in some remote country... I immediatly think: 'How the hell did they fit 500 people in a bus?' "

Should George Bush have delayed pressing the attack, then, until polls confirmed that people had learned about Iraq? That wouldn't have been in his best interests.

My point, again, is that Americans had every reason to know about politics in the Middle East because those politics directly affected their every day lives. It wasn't until we went to war that people started to learn =) It seems kinda silly.

 

[Ryan2065]

You have been insensitive, whether you will ever be able to accept it or not.

I was much more ignorant of world affairs and geography during the war in Bosnia than I am today, to my shame. However, the fact that I needed to get out my map to learn where Bosnia was did not stop me from donating money and supplies to help Bosnians. It did not stop the people of Rochester from taking in refugees and supporting them in their loss and suffering. It did not stop my mother-in-law from helping displaced Bosnian children learn Enlgish. It did not stop me and millions of other Americans from praying for an end to the hell going on there.

I'm not a raving patriot, but picking on this simple song of lament really burns my noodle.

To me Americans should have already known what was going on in the Middle East and should have at least known the difference between Iraq and Iran. There shouldn't have been any reason for this lyric in this song. Because it does exist shows that Americans are ignorant in world affairs. I don't exactly get how this point is disrespectful to those who died in the attacks on 9/11 by posting it on 9/11... I guess that we aren't supposed to say anything negative at all about the US on 9/11 because its disrespectful!

Then again would you not think that Americans knowing nothing about massacres in other countries but wanting other countries to know about American massacres is disrespectful?

 

[Green Gaia]

Its the music of the devil and republicans!

Well no wonder I have no idea who or what everyone is getting so upset over.

Surely can we argue about something more important than some country song.

 

[Ryan2065]

Surely can we argue about something more important than some country song.

How about over which is cooler? Pirates or Ninjas?

Apparently slow debate day.

 

[Snowbear]

You can use your... whatever this is... to ignore my views, attempt to discredit me so you still don't have to think too hard, but you're not going to change my values.

Actually, until this thread as well as a couple of others, I tended to respect most of your views and the values you expressed. Now that you have shown your true colors, so to speak... well.... I guess now I have a better idea of where you really stand... and no, I certainly will not be one to ignore that

 

[MaddLlama]

Actually, until this thread as well as a couple of others, I tended to respect most of your views and the values you expressed. Now that you have shown your true colors, so to speak... well.... I guess now I have a better idea of where you really stand... and no, I certainly will not be one to ignore that

 

[Willamena]

I watch CNN but I'm not sure I could
Tell you the difference in Iraq and Iran

I watch CNN but I'm not sure I could
Tell Iraq and Iran apart, so get'em both

Your re-wording changes the meaning of the phrase entirely. When Alan Jackson sings that he is "not sure he could tell you the difference in Iraq and Iran" he is not saying that he has knowledge of the two countries and that they are so similiar that he can't tell them apart. Neither is he hinting that both or either should be attacked. He is simply saying that the two names are so similar that he could very easily get them confused and get the wrong label hung on either country.

To me it is a clear reference to the speculation that followed the bombings on television on the very day they occurred, even before the name "Osama bin Laden" was brought up. All that was known was that the "terrorists" were Middle-Eastern looking.

 

[Ryan2065]

In Alan Jackson's defense... Both are four letter words that share three letters...

 

[Willamena]

Yes, it would have been. Then the US wouldn't be there...

Just so. Not in his best interests.

Saddam Hussein would still be in power, true... but he's the lesser of two evils, given Iraq's current situation. Iraq was a secular dictatorship and as much an evil in the eyes of al'Qaeda as any western country. Now it's al'Qaeda's greatest "success".

I wish Bush had waited until Americans found out there was no connection to 9/11, which the rest of the world already knew at the time - hence no broad coalition for Iraq, but a powerful one in Afghanistan - which clearly did have a connection.

I do too.

 

[Sunstone]

Actually, until this thread as well as a couple of others, I tended to respect most of your views and the values you expressed. Now that you have shown your true colors, so to speak... well.... I guess now I have a better idea of where you really stand... and no, I certainly will not be one to ignore that

Are you suggesting that anyone who wears an "I Love New York" pin on the anniversary of 9/11 "really" is anti American? Maybe Djamila's position is more complex than easy labels?

 

[CaptainXeroid]

If I read these lyrics right, then I don't think Alan Jackson is bragging about or flaunting his ignorance so much as he's making an appeal to a more basic value: namely, love. Moreover, that sort of appeal, coming as it did right after 9/11, is very much counter to a mood for vengence. Jackson is telling people that love is a supreme value even at a moment in time when the mood of the country is very negative. The lyrics, taken in context, seem to me admirable.

I have to agree with some...i think you are reading way too much into this one set of lyrics...

...Surely can we argue about something more important than some country song.

:clap It's refreshing to see some reasonable posts on this thread.

 

[Ryan2065]

Hrm... Odd... I did a google trends on "World Trade Center" and Mexico City in Mexico is number 1! Sweden is somewhere in there (like 7) and the rest are US cities.

This is fun! When searching for Iran only Washington DC is on the list for that... However, when searching for Iraq, the US is the only one on the top 10 list.

What is this evidence of? That ninjas are better than pirates!

 

[Booko]

A few countries in the world, Canada and Bosnia included, have shows called "Talking to Americans" in which they interview Americans in the streets and ask them questions.

Can you imagine the world's reaction if we had a show here like that called "Talking to Muslims?"

That just... it makes my skin crawl.

The idea that anyone would produce a tv programme designed to show another people in the worst light should be something that makes your skin crawl.

 

[YmirGF]

I know CNN will go to great length to show me how different America/Canada are from Iran and Iraq, but if one takes a slightly broader view, I think the songwriter is correct, actually.

In larger terms only a fool would argue how different we all are.

We all have to eat. We all sleep. We all feel pain. We all have our hopes. We all have our dreams. We all want to BE loved. We are want TO Love. We all try to do what we think is right. We all want a better world for our children. We all want to laugh. We all act more than a little foolish at times. We all makes mistakes... We are all human, even if our pain does not allow us to see that simple fact.


In some ways... we aren't any different at all.

 

[Booko]

People are gullible. Really gullible, especially when they think it's for a good cause. There was a TV show a few years ago that did a special on environmentalists, a very gullible group. They went to a rally and got about 20 people to sign a petition banning Di-hydrogen oxide. Is it funny that those twenty people were dumb enough to sign it and not ask what it was? Very, I laughed my *** off. Did I also take into acount they asked about 150 people, out of 500 who attended the rally? Yes.
How many people did they interview? How many "funny" answers were shown? How many people gave intelligent answers?

Here the website dedicated to dihydrogen monoxide -- a very dangerous substance!

http://www.dhmo.org/

 

[Booko]

My point, again, is that Americans had every reason to know about politics in the Middle East because those politics directly affected their every day lives. It wasn't until we went to war that people started to learn =) It seems kinda silly.

Plenty of people went over to Vietnam to fight and couldn't find it on a map and didn't know what we were supposed to be fighting for. Just that it had something to do with defending us from those "commies" was enough.

Ditto the Korean War. Plenty of guys went there as well, not knowing where it was on a map, other than close to China -- oh somewhere across the Pacific Ocean somewhere. They happily charged on to go kill some "gooks" because their gov't told them to.

Americans have had a strong tendency toward isolationism ever since the inception of this country. It's such a big place that people feel there's plenty to learn about here before we bother with other places.

You can argue the view is wrongheaded, but its always been there.

This is nothing new.

And until the other peoples of the world understand this facet of our people, they'll continue to be befuddled about us.

 

[MaddLlama]

Here the website dedicated to dihydrogen monoxide -- a very dangerous substance!

http://www.dhmo.org/

Oh. My. God. :cover:

I want to buy a t-shirt to see how many stupid people I can find. For god's sake I nearly failed chemistry and I'm not THAT dumb.

 

[Ryan2065]

Plenty of people went over to Vietnam to fight and couldn't find it on a map and didn't know what we were supposed to be fighting for. Just that it had something to do with defending us from those "commies" was enough.

Ditto the Korean War. Plenty of guys went there as well, not knowing where it was on a map, other than close to China -- on somewhere across the Pacific Ocean somewhere. They happily charged on to go kill some "gooks" because their gov't told them to.

Americans have had a strong tendency toward isolationism ever since the inception of this country. It's such a big place that people feel there's plenty to learn about here before we bother with other places.

You can argue the view is wrongheaded, but its always been there.

This is nothing new.

How about the thousands of years of history in other countries who do bother to learn about world events. =)

The truth is most Americans do not care to learn about other countries unless there is/was some "action" over there that we were involved in. Hense us being called the ignorant Americans =)

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Here the website dedicated to dihydrogen monoxide -- a very dangerous substance!

http://www.dhmo.org/

True It has killed more sailors than any other substance.