07-21-2004, 04:30 PM
...which sort of brings me back to another thought I was working on there.
Osama is an idiot.
Americans really are saps sometimes. We love to think we're do-gooders. If Osama had spent his millions on an advertising campaign to build up American sympathy, it almost certainly would have worked out better for him. Instead of trying to get the American people behind him he tried to beat us into submission, and that just doesn't work. If I had to pick the top two attributes of the American people as a whole, I'd vote for:
#1: We're saps, we like to think we can make the world a better place and
#2: We react very poorly to the thought that anyone is picking on us
The only base of support for Iraq War II was American anger over 9/11 and American sympathy for anyone having to live under the rule of someone like Saddam. Stories of Saddam's terrorism against his own people are what drives the American people towards, if not supporting the war, at least not being real active in complaining about it. Enough people think we're doing good (#1) and are still mad about 9/11 (#2).
So Osama just fucked it all up. He thought the top two attributes were:
#1: Want life to be easy
#2: Wish everyone would leave us alone
That was apparently true for the Spanish. Not Americans, on the whole.
So yes, American feelings towards arabs are, on average, going downhill fast.
But that definately wasn't what he wanted.
Osama is an idiot.
Americans really are saps sometimes. We love to think we're do-gooders. If Osama had spent his millions on an advertising campaign to build up American sympathy, it almost certainly would have worked out better for him. Instead of trying to get the American people behind him he tried to beat us into submission, and that just doesn't work. If I had to pick the top two attributes of the American people as a whole, I'd vote for:
#1: We're saps, we like to think we can make the world a better place and
#2: We react very poorly to the thought that anyone is picking on us
The only base of support for Iraq War II was American anger over 9/11 and American sympathy for anyone having to live under the rule of someone like Saddam. Stories of Saddam's terrorism against his own people are what drives the American people towards, if not supporting the war, at least not being real active in complaining about it. Enough people think we're doing good (#1) and are still mad about 9/11 (#2).
So Osama just fucked it all up. He thought the top two attributes were:
#1: Want life to be easy
#2: Wish everyone would leave us alone
That was apparently true for the Spanish. Not Americans, on the whole.
So yes, American feelings towards arabs are, on average, going downhill fast.
But that definately wasn't what he wanted.