Hate and discontent from Radical Islamic Muslims (RIMs). Where does it come from?
I’ve been reading a lot of the views and interacting with some of those supporting radical Islam, trying to figure out where all the hate and discontent is coming from.…
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26 - Clavos
Bravo, Alessandro!
Bravo!
27 - moonraven
You still gave no examples of the US culture that is supposedly the leader in this hemisphere.
Apparently you are all bullshit and no substance. No surprise to me.
If you are Canadian you should be up to speed on the legends surrounding Raven the Trickster.
Apparently that was also bullshit....
28 - alessandro Nicolo
Thank you, Clavos.
Oh shut up, Moonraven. With apologies of course.
First, you never asked. Second, if you need me to explain this to you then you need more help than this lousy scribe can describe. Really. All it means is that you have a highly suspect, trivial and parochial view of American history. One thing I will say is that its history is not a sham. No nation on this continent rivals it. NONE.
There you go again. You pick and choose what you want to attack and answer.
MR, you're the one that lacks effen substance. The story of the Raven has many aspects to it and he's not Canadian per se. He's a product of Native culture that stretches all the way into Eurasia - and oh yes, he's the creator of human beings. Of the Universe. What a kidder indeed since he helped produce you. The myth surrounding it is a little deeper than you tried to pull off.
It's very easy to debate like you do. Make a wild assertion that can't possibly be proven, dismiss anyone who challenges you as "not getting it" and call all before a savage. You jab a lot but you run, hide and curl. And when you do reappear it is not to engage but attack.
Yet, something tells me that if you can properly challenge your excitement free of the utter gutter talk, people may actually listen to you. They will probably still disagree but at least you'll get your point across more effectively.
Just my opinion.
29 - Dave Nalle
You ignorant savages are not the leaders of anyone.
Get over yourself.
You don't go anyplace except to WalMart and the malls.
And you know this because you spend a lot of time hanging out at those places scoffing at the culturally bankrupt riffraff?
You don't speak any other languages,
This is a common misconception. Many Americans do speak other languages. Americans are no more linguistically ignorant than the citizens of other colonial nations and way ahead of people living in some of the more culturally isolated nations like China.
and you speak English poorly (I stopped hiring folks from the US as English teachers 10 years ago because they did not speak the language.)
You obviously made the mistake of hiring English majors. You should have hired based on skills rather than academic credentials. After all, based solely on academic credentials, someone might hire you as an educator.
There is no US cuisine.
Fear the cultural dominance of our burgers and fries!
Dave
30 - STM
"There is no US cuisine."
Oh yes there is ... burgers and fries, for sure - and you can add pizza to that list. It's not eaten that way in Italy, and the only similarity is the name. Pizza, as we know it outside Italy, is an American invention. Footy fans the world over salute you, America, for your culinary ingenuity ...
31 - Clavos
Brunswick Stew, Hush Puppies, Grits, Country Fried Steak, Southern Fried Chicken, Stone Crabs, Philly Cheese Steaks, Coney Island Hot Dogs, NOLA Pralines, Beignets.
And that's just in the East.
32 - STM
Chowder ... as in zing's famous call to Dave Nalle :"Dave, you chowder head".
33 - Mohjho
Do you realy paint your toenails red Alessandro?
34 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Marthe Raymond (moonraven) writes,
"You have no history--except that of genocide."
This is the shining key to Marthe Raymond that you are all ignoring because with it comes a fusillade of withering scorn.
Marthe identifies with the Indians on the North American continent. That is the part of her heritage that moves her the most, that thrills her. When she reaches into her soul for resuscitation, that is where she reaches. Those pyramids a few kilometers off from where she lives inspire her and remind her of the greatness of her own people.
I have no trouble understanding this at all, even though her view of the State of Israel is that it oughtn't exist because of its sins against its neighbors.
After all, when I see Tel Shiló, when I look out of my windows at the mountains of the Shomrón, or visit the Tayélet in Jerusalem and down look into the Valley of G-d's Judgment, I also draw inspiration. My spirit is resuscitated by my land. And it is very hurt when I see Israelis abuse it in attempting to mimic America or Europe.
From an Indian's point of view, all the greatness that is America was accomplished over the dead bodies of Indians. The culture of her people was
eradicatedmurdered off by the grasping European culture that negated its values of communal land ownership, stewardship over the land, and respect for it and for the animals that shared it with people.I'm guessing, but I suspect that to Marthe, the replacement is not culture at all, but barbarism. I suspect that if I were magically transported 1,900 years back in time to Rome, I'd feel the same way about the Romans. In fact, I do, even though I have not been transported back in time. From my point of view all that the Romans accomplished is mere savagery, because it was accomplished with, amongst other murders and enslavements, a genocide of MY people, a genocide pursued over several centuries, just as the genocide of Indians on the North American continent was.
I direct this at you specifically, Alessandro, because you were kind enough to come to my defense against one of those fusillades of Marthe's scorn, and also because you can trace a portion of your own ancestry to those Romans. What I say is not said out of ingratitude, but in an attempt to provide light and understanding where there is only darkness and disputation. I would hope that Marthe can see in what I say, not a patronizing attitude, but the understanding of one determined not to be a victim of history, someone similar to her.
History is an unbroken chain of events, or more precisely, a huge series of unbroken chains of events. When a new chain arises, you get a major disturbance in history - rebellion, war, death, destruction.
The rise of the Wahhabi strain of Islam, a new chain of events in the history of the Arab world, has been occasioned by all that I mentioned above, rebellion, war, death, destruction. The story of how it has prevented any real progress amongst Arabs is really the topic of Mike Finley's essay. Unfortunately, it is hidden by misleading names, like "radical Islamic Moslem". And because Mike decide to go the route of the mainstream media titles, instead of reality, much that he says is "off," though it is not wrong. So, I reiterate what I said in comment #15, with these additions above.
35 - alessandro Nicolo
Mohjho, no. I'm more into the blue tones. Yeesh, I have a toe fetish like a character in a Lou Reed song.
STM, yes and no. Before Italy cultures of the Mediterranean (as well as in Italy) ate something called a flatbread that was lightly garnished if at all. It was similar to the modern day focaccia due to its thin, crusty characterisitcs.
The pizza, with a thicker, softer bed began to take root in Naples. When tomatoes were introduced to Italy in the 17 th century (I'm not sure of the exact date or century but plus or minus) that's when the pizza changed forever. Different regions in Itay - not surprisingly since there is no national cuisine. Italy is a regional cuisine (like its wines) - make a their own version of it. The North-South dietary dichotomy is interesting onto itself.
My mother for example is from South-Central Italy (though she was born here) but they tend to make their pizzas thinner. My brother-in-laws mother who hails from Naples makes a thick pizza. Both are to make you die.
The American created their own version of that pizza. On a per capita basis the American eat more pizza (and ice cream - another food item with stellar Italian roots) than anyone on earth.
I don't know. I've seen American cook books. It does have its own take on how to prepare food. It may not rival the national cuisines of countries like -for example - China, India, Lebabon (the Middle-East), Mexico, Italy and France( or the Mediterranean in general) but there is one. In many ways, it resembles Quebec diet and cooking.
For the record, historians are pretty confident that drum wheat pasta too had Italian roots. The Chinese were doing something completely different. In any event, Italians don't eat that much pasta as we think. It's a part of their diet.
A European study showed that not only are the Italians living longer (along woth the French) they also weigh less than the average European - which suggests they do a great job of balancing their diet. The Dutch are the lightest by the way.
All useless information you need to know come to me. How did we get here? Oh yeah, MR thinks she's the only who knows how to eat.
Yeah right.
36 - Alessandro Nicolo
I neglected to mention, that the Americans popularized pizza and in many ways it has become their own - so in the vain STM is right. Some of the best pizza I ever had was in the USA.
37 - moonraven
I AM obviously the only one on this site who knows how to eat--as EVIDENCE the list of completely unappetizing garbage you jokers offered up under the name of "cuisine". Burgers and fries, indeed.
You could not pay me enough to eat shit like grits. Even farm animals wouldn't eat that.
I am a member of the Slow Food movement, and in addition to a vast repetoire of Mexican dishes, I also make French food to die for, Italian (and real pizza, not that plastic garbage you eat in the US), Greek, Japanese, Indian, Chinese, Russian, North African, Syrian, Hungarian--and so Ruvy doesn't think I am a Jew Hater: fabulous challah and latkes.
I have washed my hands of Alessandro the Know It All. He still hasn't come up with any examples of US culture.
But, just to set him straight, this Raven the Trickster is not to be taken at face value. He should know better.
This is a virtual space, after all.
38 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
What is this, a cooking site?
Alright, given that everybody is fessing up to what they like, I have taken to eating Middle Eastern food - but I stay away from the lamb because the fat is too hard, and having had one heart attack, I do not need another.
In fact, now that I think about it, we eat lots of pasta, lots of eggplant, lots of olive oil, lots of salad, and lots of coffee - real coffee. I don't like the Turkish coffee that much though.
I'd eat more cheese, but well, those arteries of mine keep me away from the stuff. I also like to eat something called leben, which is similar to yogurt.
And now I'll be looking forward to PesaH - Passover - and the joys of eating bread that has as much flavor as the cardboard box it comes in, along with lots of potatoes. No Hallah and no latkes...
Did I say I was looking forward to this? I'll have to slap myself.
39 - zingzing
moonraven's sort of right. the us culture isn't the deepest around, nor is it entirely original. being a young, diverse nation, we take from other cultures, put a little spin on it, drain it of some of its eccentricities and call it our own. that said, what we lack in depth, we more than make up for in breadth.
ours is a wide culture, where i can walk a couple of city blocks in seattle and find indian, italian and french restaraunts, european and middle eastern delis, techno, rock and hip-hop clubs, old world-style open markets, jewish bakeries, a brazilian bar, a finnish fashion store (right next to the harley dealership and a place called "buckets" that sells... buckets), european clothing stores, a mexican lunch bar, a cuban restaraunt, a korean kareoke... it goes on. oh, i left out the strip clubs.
there is very little you can point to that is "american" to the core, but that's because america is made up of many different cultures. sometimes, they appear mixed together (like a taco bell/kfc... yuck), sometimes they appear separately. trying to find purely "american" culture is ignoring our history as a nation. most of us arrived as whatever culture we emigrated from. a few generations later, we're american.
we get to appreciate the best of what the world has to offer, even if, admittedly, it is sometimes watered down.
40 - STM
Ruvy: "Alright, given that everybody is fessing up to what they like, I have taken to eating Middle Eastern food."
Me too ... falafel, baba ganouge, hummous, tabouli, kibbe, shish tawouk, lamb kebabs (sometimes) etc. You will get some of the best middle-eastern food outside Beirut in this town.
And don't get me started on Thai, that other Aussie favourite.
A bucket of fresh cooked prawns (shrimp) and a couple of (dozen) beers remains a staple, though.
Also, we are the only nation on Earth that puts its coat of arms on the barbecue ... emu and kangaroo. 'Roo is nice, marinated and seared both sides and cooked quickly so that it is still a bit pink inside. Almost no fat, and full of iron.
41 - moonraven
I was not fessing up to anything. I was talking about what I COOK.
Middle Eastern food is fine--EXCEPT for falafel, which is like eating a hand grenade. I prefer the versions in Syria, as there are more vegetable dishes. I learned how to make several of those a couple of years ago from a friend who has a Syrian restauarant in....Quito, Ecuador.
42 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
"Middle Eastern food is fine--EXCEPT for falafel, which is like eating a hand grenade."
Many years ago, when my room-mate Phil and I were active in the Democratic club in the North Bronx, we cooked up some falafel for a fundraiser.
This reform democrat (who shall remained unnamed for reasons that you shall see shortly) loved the falafel that we had made (actually had bought from a falafel shop) and kept stuffing himself on them in spite of our warnings not to.
The next day he was on the phone after several runny sessions on the ivory throne.
"Phil, what did you put in that food you served, yesterday?"
The "back blast" from too much falafel is enough to power a grenade launcher...
43 - moonraven
During the 2 months I spent in Jordan at NYIT in the summer of 2005 I had to buy falafel "sandwiches" every morning when the driver came by to take me to the university because there was no place around there to eat lunch or dinner.
My intestinal tract has never been the same. And the stuff is REALLY boring--even with hot chile sauce.