OT: Free speech?

[Aiken]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
Its always about the Jews... what about the dozens of other instances of genocide in the 20th century? For example, millions of Armenians were slaughtered sometime around 1920 or so... the Jews are nothing special or unique.

Because of great PR made of it.

[Renegade 13]

I simply mentioned the Jews because it is the most well known example of genocide. Of course there are lots more! Lets see how many I can come up with:

- Hutu's and the Tutsi's (Rwanda I think)(spelling)
- The former Zaire had something like that a few years back
- The Kurds in Iraq

And the list just goes on and on and ....

[Mephisto]

Atrocities, the Iraq didn't support Al Quiada as far as it is known. It did not sent military police to Kuwait and then to Afghanistan. Most of the 9/11 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia and they were born there, no secret behind that one. It did pay money to the relatives of Palestinian suicide bombers, that is the only thing true behind the report.

[JayBdey]

America committed atrocities too.

America dropped incendiary bombs on the German town of Dresden. Dresden was a town of mostly old wooden buildings and the fire created a surge of air that sucked people into it. The death toll of the Dresden bombing exceeded the atomic bLasts on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These people were burned to death by the firestorm that sucked them into the core of the fire. It would have been a slow, horribly painful death for many of them.

Yet no kids in America learn about this in school, and you won’t see it on the history channel.

[Randallw]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
Its always about the Jews... what about the dozens of other instances of genocide in the 20th century? For example, millions of Armenians were slaughtered sometime around 1920 or so... the Jews are nothing special or unique.

At risk of being criticised, I have always assumed its because there are so many powerful jewish people in the developed world. They make sure no one forgets. I don't think there are many famous Armenians (apart from Cher ) reminding people.

[dogscoff]

I don't think there are many famous Armenians (apart from Cher ) reminding people.

Well I never knew that. I always assumed she was Jewish...

Something else about the holocaust that many people don't realise is that Hitler also sent disabled people, the mentally ill and a whole bunch of ethnic Groups to the gas chambers. Although the jewish population suffered most in terms of sheer numbers of people killed, the romany gypsies were damn near exterminated altogether. (there were less of them to start with.)

[Grauzone]

Originally posted by JayBdey:
America committed atrocities too.

America dropped incendiary bombs on the German ...

Yet no kids in America learn about this in school, and you won’t see it on the history channel.

I agree you. I have an impression most Americans see the world a little bit different as e.g. most of the "Old-Europeans". But what is the cause of this interesting point of view?

My opinion is: the cause is the history of a country and its representation in the historical education in the scools. I know it from Germany: Here is the main focus of history in scool WWII and the Genocide on Jews. As a result an german kid has often an impression to be guilty in things happen over 60 yeas ago. I don't beleave in "Erbschuld" (is an concept that faults of parents are also the faults of their children). As result of this scool indoctrination most germans have an abcence of patriotism. To say "I'm proud to be a german" can stamp you as an radical nationalist.

I think USA have an inverted problem. It's a kind of fragmented Identity. A nation that defends "human rights", "freedom of speech" and "democracy" all over the world MUST NOT break this rules so open and so often (also in own country) because of nobody can punish this country for such delicts.

But problems of this kind are solvable over few years. Many germans owe a new kind of "patriotism" to Rumsfeld. He gives them an alternative identification. Not as "forever guilty german" but as "peace loving old-european" .

Sorry for my bad English