[extropy-chat] (no subject)

[Dirk Bruere]

matus at matus1976.com wrote:

>
>----- Original Message -----
>--- matus at matus1976.com wrote:
>  
>
>>I really have to wonder what the world would be like
>>if the media covered the murderous tyrants of the
>>world as it does to this tragedy. If we saw
>>relentless video footage of the victims of Saddam
>>Hussein or Kim Jong Il, if survivors were
>>interviewed daily and newspapers ran front page
>>photos every day of the tortured, beaten, starved or
>>grieving victims of these horrific regimes.
>>    
>>
>
>Quite a few journalists have tried to give us that
>coverage.  They tend to get arrested or shot by the
>same dictators for their efforts.  Those in power in
>those situations know that unfavorable media coverage
>would be a quick way to bring the world's armies down
>on them, and that the best way to stop it is to stop
>the reporters.
>
>    -------------
>
>Really?  I suspect the occurences of that are way overblow.  Christopher Hitchens visited North Korea and wrote a pretty damning commentary on it.  Did anyone care?  He wasnt capture, tortured or killed.  
>
>I dont know, I think the truth is more of the ostrich syndrome, people dont want to know about these shitty countries because they dont want to be faced with the moral quandary of what to do about them.  Among those who do know about them the leading mentality seems to be that it's none of our business anyway, that there is no standard of morality and we have no right to judge Kim Jong Il, Pol Pot or Idi Amin.  How many western journalists have North Koreans murdered?  Any?  There are plenty of victims fleeing the horrific regime of North korea into China who could grace the front pages of the NYT every day, complete with horrific stories of famine and torture.  
>
>  
>
That's partially the case, but another major factor is the the West in 
general, and the US in particular, quite often has had a hand in putting 
these genocidal maniacs where they are today, or at least supporting 
them. Saddam is a case in point, but the US is currently cosying up to a 
whole load of warlords in Afghanistan, a guy who boils political 
prisoners alive (Uzbekistan IIRC) and of course our good pal the nuclear 
armed Islamic military dictator Musharraf, to name but a few.

-- 
Dirk

The Consensus:-
The political party for the new millenium
http://www.theconsensus.org



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