Page 1 of USA offends everyone else

Does anyone think it`s just a little hypocritical for the US Army to invite the world`s press into a spceially prepared morgue to see "reconstructed" corpses of Saddam`s sons in order to "convince" the Iraqi public that they are dead?

It really isn`t any different to the Iraqi`s showing dead US soldiers on the TV during the military campaign.

The hypocracy doesn`t stop there, the BBC were delighted to show us the pictures on News 24, but of course wouldn`t have stooped to showing us the soldiers.

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Chris Cox

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No I don`t find it hypocritical.

Quote:
It really isn`t any different to the Iraqi`s showing dead US soldiers on the TV during the military campaign.

What? It is very different.

The pictures were shown to try to prove to people that the two murderous sons of an evil dictator were dead. The people of Iraq and most of the world will be pleased to see this world is rid of these two sick individuals.

Quote:
The hypocracy doesn`t stop there, the BBC were delighted to show us the pictures on News 24, but of course wouldn`t have stooped to showing us the soldiers.

Why would we want to see every dead soldier broadcast on tv? Do you think the Americans are lying about the number of their soldiers dying?


Rich

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It has little to do with hypocrisy and more to do with the American administration dictating terms because they won. Let`s face it they did win. To the average person it does speak of double standards, but there is a difference in culture as well. I know from personal experience that my Panjabi culture doesn`t blanche at the display of dead bodies, I remember after the assasination of Rajiv Gandhi that several Panjabi newspapers saw nothing wrong in printing before and after images.

I am assuming that Middle Eastern cultures are similarly thick skinned in this regard, but please correct me if it is otherwise.

The display of corpses doesn`t invoke such squeamishness as it does in the west, and the Western media uproar over the display of Western soldiers is more to do with propaganda and public relations at home rather than anything to do with diplomatic sensibilities and Human rights.

The Bush administration in displaying the bodies of Uday and Qusay wish to make a statement to the Iraqi populace that the old regime is gone and won`t return.

It is a calculated risk in that while it will reassure a large percentage of the Iraqis, a significant minority that still support the old regime will be outraged by this. Should the worst happen and these two reprehensible individuals be held up as Martyrs, and judging by some reports of their "heroic" 4 hour battle against 400 Americans that may indeed happen, then all that Bush will have accomplished is to create a new nest of motivated terrorists.

I fear that this mishandling of the Sons of Hussein will only come back to bite the West on it`s arse. :(

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Jitendar Canth

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No matter what atrocities Saddam`s sons may have committed whilst alive, by what stretch of the imagination is it acceptable for triumphalist American troops to parade the corpses of Iraq`s former oppressors as some sort of freakshow exhibit? Even though the American forces clearly have a policy of enlisting halfwit D-students, surely their leaders should be making some sort of effort to prevent the free world`s hired thugs from seeming too cretinous.

This item was edited on Friday, 25th July 2003, 21:47

I agree - it isn`t hypocriticial on behalf of the US at all. It is a very different matter - proving to millions that evil dictators are no more, or showing the world dead soldiers: innocent people battling for the liberty of others.

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F***ing hell, three of you posted at the same time, weird. :)

Rich

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And three different opinions 8)

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Jitendar Canth

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The big problem as I see it is both the US and UK governments insist on putting their (our) value system on everything without taking other cultures` value systems into account. That is not only arrogant but patronising.

There are countries whose inhabitants are quite happy living under an autocracy. It`s a good old-fashioned system where the top dog`s called the King (usually the one who isn`t covered in sh*t). There are other folks who prefer a theocracy, where the representatives of the local faith call the shots. Most of Europe was like that when the Vatican had its big power base.

Democracy is a fairer-sounding system, if you take it seriously, but few people - least of all the Americans - do. You have to be exceptionally rich, or sell your soul to a load of wealthy lobbyists and interested parties to get anywhere in Western politics. Look at recent election turnouts for the UK and US - voter apathy usually means that our leaders are voted into power by something like 20% of the population - even if they don`t fix the ballot by having all the African-American voters in Florida identified as criminals and therefore ineligible to vote. Oh, and who`s the Governor of Florida? Jeb Bush? Where have I heard that name before?

And what happens if you get rid of your King/ Mullah/ Ruler and appoint a President? He still ends up living the life of Riley in a palace and usually has the armed forces set up to ensure their loyalty. Then he starts forgetting to have elections. We`ve all seen that happen, right?

As for the question of gory photographs - the Arab television services had no compunction about showing wounded and dead Allied soldiers during the campaign, and yet the Allied leaders get squeamish about showing the corpses of Uday and Qusay - the only way the Iraqis will believe these two are worm food. Claiming the moral high ground is at best a dodgy manoeuvre, especially if the whole weapons-of-mass-destruction issue blows up in their faces. Messrs Bush and Blair may think that they have won that war, but one thing is certain, they are losing the peace.

J Mark Oates

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Quote:
proving to millions that evil dictators are no more

And George Dubya is ?

Interesting quote from one of the US defence spokesmen when asked about the `rebelious` comments of soldiers out there in Eyerak. `Anyone who wears this uniform is not free to criticize the Defence Secretary`. Democracy, ahhh, smells so sweet! 8)

Unless you are biased against the US there`s no comparison.

When the arab stations travel back in time and stop showing US war dead you can have your point. But its still war dead versus enemy combatant dead, so not much comparison.

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