US media angrily marvels at the lack of Muslim gratitude
US media angrily marvels at the lack of Muslim gratitude
NBC News, along with a leading US newspaper, insist that Egyptians should be grateful to the US for having 'freed' them
Glenn Greenwald
guardian.co.uk, Friday 14 September 2012 11.51 EDT
One prominent strain shaping American reaction to the protests in the Muslim world is bafflement, and even anger, that those Muslims are not more grateful to the US. After all, goes this thinking, the US bestowed them with the gifts of freedom and democracy the very rights they are now exercising so how could they possibly be anything other than thankful? Under this worldview, it is especially confounding that the US, their savior and freedom-provider, would be the target of their rage.
On Wednesday, USA Today published an article with the headline "After attacks in Egypt and Libya, USA Today asks: Why?" The paper appeared to tell its readers that it was the US that freed the Egyptian people from tyranny:
"Attacks in Libya that left four US diplomats dead including Ambassador Christopher Stevens and a mob invasion of the US Embassy in Cairo, in which the US flag was torn to shreds, have left many to wonder: How can people the USA helped free from murderous dictators treat it in such a way?"
Did you know that the "USA helped free" Egyptians from their murderous dictator? On Thursday night, NBC News published a nine-minute report on Brian Williams' "Rock Center" program featuring its foreign correspondent, Richard Engel, reporting on the demonstrations in Cairo, which sounded exactly the same theme. Standing in front of protesting Egyptians in Tahrir Square, Engel informed viewers that this was all so very baffling because it was taking place "in Cairo, where the US turned its back on its old friend Hosni Mubarak", and then added:
"It is somewhat ironic with American diplomats inside the embassy who helped to give these demonstrators, these protesters, a voice, and allowed them to actually carry out these anti-American clashes that we're seeing right now."
More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/14/egypt-nbc
russspeakeasy
(6,539 posts)russspeakeasy
(6,539 posts)oldsarge54
(582 posts)Let's face, they want to paint who groups of people with a single sweep of the paintbrush. Think of all the stupid things you read on Yahoo comment boards. Most (and not just the media) do not care enough to learn the details about other cultures.
cbrer
(1,831 posts)defacto7
(13,485 posts)They expect gratitude as a right.
I have seen the unabashed gratitude of people in the ME when it was offered for real human efforts. They exude gratitude... and many times we don't deserve it. Most of the time it's ignored because it's not politically correct for American tastes.
I love good, great, honest, gracious, kind, loving human beings. Period.
Screw the people who claim it as an inalienable right to be worshipped by the world.
We give because there is need. That's all!