Ask an Iraqi (how Americans see Iraq and its people)
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Stumble ThisThis is a segment from,"This American Life".
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPfLdxEr0jk&feature=related
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPfLdxEr0jk&feature=related
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There is an undivided version here
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5hyv0_ask-an-iraqi_news
Can anyone translate for me, what is said at 9:23 of the video?
"Shaku Maku" is a colloquial term frequently used by Iraqis - it is not used anywhere else.
It is roughly equivalent to the American "what's up?"
Evidently, it is Babylonian in origin and about 3000 years old.
courtesy of:
http://armyadvice.org/blogs/gijohn/archive/2005/10/13/13216.aspx
(i do, but not under such inane conditions....give me a raw energy suit, and f'get this planet!!)....at 6:26 the redneck's response..."But yer wernt free?!.....Poor fella, but you wernt either?!"
I want to ask an Iraqi if they think it will get better because we got rid of Saddam or if they think America has made it so that Iraq is worse off.
EDIT: Nevermind. They asked him that at the end.
I consider myself to be an optimist and I want to believe that we went there for the right reasons. I want every one of our troops to be a worthy ambassador for The United States of America. I want to grab their faces everyday and remind them to be on their best behavior because somebody is always watching them. I want Iraqis to see everything that is good in you and me when they interact with our soldiers and look into their eyes. I think all Americans want the Iraqis to have our intentions realized in their day to day lives. We are generally good people. We want them to have what we have. Unfortunately, that's not the reality.
Regardless of how it's going now, we all want it to work out in the end. But, how much weight does the average American pull in the four years between elections?
It doesn't matter to me what it was about or why we went there, Fade. I didn't want our President to send troops there in the first place. I'm more interested in what the Iraqi people want us to do now that we've messed their country up. We should say, "What we've been doing isn't working, we've made a grave mistake. What would you like us to start doing to make things better? How can we improve your quality of life?"
I don't care what Gen. Petraeus has to say, or what the troops that have been there have to say. Frankly, I think their strategies and theories are irrelevant. If the American people want so badly for Iraq to be a free country, then why don't we let them decide how to handle their own problems (or the problems we've so generously bestowed upon them)? We should offer our assistance only after they ask for our help on their own terms and in the way they decide they want us to help.
How come we haven't heard our Presidential candidates talk like this? Aren't we acting worse than England did to the settlers here before they declared their independence? At what point will we admit that we shouldn't be the one's deciding what the best exit strategy is? Shouldn't we ask the Iraqi gov't when and how we should leave. To me, making ultimatums to leave on a certain date, regardless of the consequences, is as bad as ignoring the issues and planning to stay indefinitely.
Imagine the good we could be accomplishing with the amount of money and energy and manpower and lives we are shoveling into a sinking ship. Imagine the amount of cooperation we would be getting from the Iraqis if they knew they were ultimately in charge.
In reply to this comment by Fade:
I'm sorry to have to be the one to break this to you Deedub, but it was never about Saddam. If it was the war would be over. It was never about "Iraqi Freedom". That's just the lie you were fed to make it pallatable.
Best comment I've read...ever.
It quickly becomes clear that the state of the house doesn't mean a thing.
The American government is like any other government in the world: it acts in its own self interest. The US is in Iraq to establish an American friendly regieme, gain a secure source of oil and a stronger presence in the middle east. It was a sound (at the time) long term strategic decision that even the dems backed.
Just like in Vietnam, just like in Nicaragua, just like in Iran, it was NEVER about what THEY wanted; It was always about WE wanted. It doesn't matter if US backed regiemes were tyrants that murdered their own citizens, it's cool as long as they're American-friendly.
Yes the US does many great things for the world, but those are peanuts compared to what it can do. If the US was actually in it for the altruism, it'd be liberating North Korea and sending troops to Darfur.
Every superpower will abuse it's might, but at least in this superpower you have the option to disagree. American individuals have the power to make their voices heard and change things for the better. Never before has a superpower been so critical of itself, and that gives me hope.
Mentality: By your logic, it would have been in the United States best interest to make friends with Saddam regardless of how he was treating his people? With the amount of money we've spent in Iraq, we could have made Saddam's Regime VERY friendly with us.
I don't think your arguments are exactly on point.
...which brings me back full circle: I don't care what the motives were then (actually, I do. I don't want history to ever repeat this mistake). I want to know what the future President is going to do to make Iraq a better place to live. Starting...yesterday.
The Founding Fathers who created the checks and balances in this country had it right. The more we stray from their ideals, the farther we stray into the gray areas of morality. We can breed and encourage better politicians by insisting on abolishing ear marks and voting for a smaller government with fewer unchecked powers.
Mentality: By your logic, it would have been in the United States best interest to make friends with Saddam regardless of how he was treating his people? With the amount of money we've spent in Iraq, we could have made Saddam's Regime VERY friendly with us.
eer, how old are you, 12? US was very friendly with Saddam's regime just a few years before the first Gulf war. look it up
I don't think your arguments are exactly on point.
well, I think you don't know what you're talking about
...which brings me back full circle: I don't care what the motives were then (actually, I do. I don't want history to ever repeat this mistake). I want to know what the future President is going to do to make Iraq a better place to live. Starting...yesterday.
can't wait for your post-Iran war commentaries
The Founding Fathers who created the checks and balances in this country had it right. The more we stray from their ideals, the farther we stray into the gray areas of morality. We can breed and encourage better politicians by insisting on abolishing ear marks and voting for a smaller government with fewer unchecked powers.
don't care what you do (meaning the US) just stop meddling into affairs of other nations. you and your fucking moral high ground...
http://www.videosift.com/video/OMG-bout-time-50-cents-video-game-got-a-sequel
The nice americans give the nasty americans support to go rape other countries.
What the nice americans SHOULD be saying is "That's illegal. Stop that immediately. People are dying."
but no, they go on and on about "helping" some more.
I know this. I never said we weren't friendly. What I meant to say was, why didn't we remain friendly?
Mentality stated that the US only does what's in the United States own best interest. I say, it was in our best interest to remain friendly.
If both those statements are true, then we should have stayed out of Iraq.
Mentality said this: It was always about WE wanted. It doesn't matter if US backed regiemes were tyrants that murdered their own citizens, it's cool as long as they're American-friendly.
Multiple comments directed towards me state that we WERE friendly with Iraq years ago, as if I didn't already know this.
Well, then why did we go there if we were and could be friendly with them and we didn't care that Saddam was murdering his people? Because he didn't remain friendly to us. He stopped obeying mandates made by the U.N.
Look, I already said this before. I was against the Iraq invasion then, and I'm against it now. Period.
I know this. I never said we weren't friendly with them at one point. My statement was directed toward the here and now.
Kulpims: well, I think you don't know what you're talking about
Awesome rebuttal.
Kulpims: can't wait for your post-Iran war commentaries
You obviously have no idea how I feel about war. Next time try not to jump into the middle of a conversation unless you know what's going on.
Kulpims: don't care what you do (meaning the US) just stop meddling into affairs of other nations. you and your fucking moral high ground...
Again, another example of you having no clue what we were talking about. My whole point is that the moral high ground is to be a friend to all nations and people.
Next time, try paying attention to other people's points of view before you jump on the I-HATE-ALL-AMERICANS bandwagon.
What the nice americans SHOULD be saying is "That's illegal. Stop that immediately. People are dying."
There are quite a few who are. Even some of the mean ones are saying that.
Politicians aren't listening. Republicans openly joke about it, and think ignoring the will of the public is a sign of good leadership. Democratic leadership fails to bring a real fight, and offers excuses. Some are valid, but most (like me) assume they don't wanna fix it before the Presidential election.
If Democrats win this fall, and nothing changes, I'm joining choggie in hopelessness, and spouting nothing but spite for the whole process.
I suspect, though, things will change when there's no need to overcome filibusters and vetoes to end the war.
deedub, sorry this got adversarial, i didn't really mean my comment to be against you 180 degrees. you're saying a lot of the right things.
maybe try more outrage and disgust? the middleground of this issue is for pussies.
"Deedub, the US was really friendly with Saddam. Think about all those nasty weapons he got. Who sold them to him?"
I know this. I never said we weren't friendly. What I meant to say was, why didn't we remain friendly?
Mentality stated that the US only does what's in the United States own best interest. I say, it was in our best interest to remain friendly.
If both those statements are true, then we should have stayed out of Iraq.
Mentality said this: It was always about WE wanted. It doesn't matter if US backed regiemes were tyrants that murdered their own citizens, it's cool as long as they're American-friendly.
Multiple comments directed towards me state that we WERE friendly with Iraq years ago, as if I didn't already know this.
Well, then why did we go there if we were and could be friendly with them and we didn't care that Saddam was murdering his people? Because he didn't remain friendly to us. He stopped obeying mandates made by the U.N.
Look, I already said this before. I was against the Iraq invasion then, and I'm against it now. Period.
okey dokey, deedub81, you made your point. you were against the war then, you're against the war now. still, seems to me like you're trying to convince yourself that the whole occupation is somehow justified, though. i think it's not. the way i see it your country has been hijacked by a bunch of greedy thugs who wanted to exploit US military might to their own advantage and to the wishes of big business interests that fuel their zeal. the people in power didn't decide to bomb iraq back to stoneage because Saddam was a bad boy but simply because they could. they set a dangerous precedent with that decision that only made things worse and the whole world is less stable and secure now because of it. if it's any help, i'm sorry for directing some of the anger i feel towards these scumbags on to you
wow, just typing that made me feel dirty. thx again for apologizing. just remember, a lot of us Americans hate bush and the iraq war just as much as you do.
I wrote this earlier:
"It doesn't matter to me what it was about or why we went there, Fade. I didn't want our President to send troops there in the first place. I'm more interested in what the Iraqi people want us to do now that we've messed their country up. We should say, "What we've been doing isn't working, we've made a grave mistake. What would you like us to start doing to make things better? How can we improve your quality of life?"
In my opinion, we have the responsibility to work with the Iraqi people and gov't to give them the funding, resources, and manpower to reverse the damage we've done as best we can. I don't pretend to think that I know how best to do that or that it would make it all better. I just think that's the best moral action we could take from here on out.
If this kid makes good on her promise, she now has a siftload of supporters to start with.
Indeed. I wonder what home school that is and can we send more kids there?
lol MGR not got much to say about this one
lol MGR has a job he works 12 hours a day
Anyway, Trolls, aside -
Those two Marines were fucking dumb. Especially the first one. "I want to participate" - Obviously a boot.
If this kid makes good on her promise, she now has a siftload of supporters to start with.
I do hope (for her sake) she doesn't turn into this girl
MG.
Wow.
"Dumb"? Really? Like, how exactly? Can you explain what you mean?
The first one said " I want to participate"
When asked about it, he really couldn't come up with a response. The soldier next to him (who thinks he's way more of a badass than he really is) was trying to tell him he's better off not going, but the stupid boot wouldn't have it. He was way too motivated about something he didn't know shit about.
[edit] To further clarify: The soldier hit the nail on the head. The Marine was just a brain washed douche bag. He assumes that all Muslims hate Americans. [/edit]
The second guy, the one that said "Shaku Maku" (Man, I haven't heard that in years...) was just an ass. "We're gonna do our thing and I don't give a shit what happens to (your people) you."
Most reasonable people see the futility of what they are engaged in, but who makes sweeping changes nowadays....those with the keys to control, which we are not privy to, nor do we have a say as to the instructions or times for their use-People may nee to take them by force, but this time, it's gonna be nasty, or not at all-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg5NLk61OjY
care to make a playlist, eric?
Secondly, great job by the 11-year-old. It's all too apparent that only the most intelligent of us still grasp some of the most valuable traits the human condition offers: toleration and humility. And she's eleven.
Lastly, it's obvious to everyone by now (aside from the aforementioned deluded) that this is nothing more than an occupation. First we were told it was about WMD's, then it was about getting Saddaam out of power and now it's about bestowing upon them the "freedom" that we all possess....by instituting curfews. What will be the next thing the spin doctors throw at us? We take 18-year-olds from middle, lower and poor America, who have no idea how to deal with other cultures with their mores and norms, rush them through classes that try to teach them these concepts, and them indoctrinate them into a bloody war. Then they see their best friends killed, which only perpetuates the hatred they already feel towards the people and the entire situation.
I can only hope that eventually, *somebody* will take the goddamn reigns and put an end to this. At this point, I could care less if it were a Democrat, a Republican or a fucking Martian. You can't change people's paradigms with force.