Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Old Soviet joke, and more
BBC was doing a vox pop with Israelis on the street, getting their opinions about how the country is going, and opinions about Our Lord And Saviour Bibi Netanyahu.
Israeli politicians offer SERIOUSLY DIFFERENT policy goals, and Israeli citizens have SERIOUSLY DIFFERENT opinions about how their country is going. Some are happy with Bibi's bullying and warmongering, some are highly unhappy with his bullying and warmongering. They want a leader who pays attention to their OWN problems. Even more shocking, ordinary Israelis FELT FREE to express their DIFFERENT opinions to the BBC interviewer.
As an American, I find this hard to understand. What are these mysterious "policies" and "opinions"? We do not need DIFFERENT choices about how our own country is run, because our country is EXCEPTIONAL. Best education in the world, best health care in the world, best morality in the world, best stings and agents provocateurs, best Sharpton, broadest income inequality, best abortions, best genocide, flattest Piles Of Stuff. We are allowed the infinite freedom of shouting BENGHAZI if we are of the R tribe, or shouting KOCH if we are of the D tribe. These mantras are all the freedom anyone could possibly need or ask. Why would you ever need or want to express a critical "opinion" about "policy"?
Reminds me of Old Soviet Joke.
American: We are free to criticize Nixon.
Soviet Russian: Same here. We are also free to criticize Nixon.
Modern version:
Israeli: We are free to criticize Netanyahu.
Soviet American: Same here. We are also free to praise Netanyahu.
Israeli: But that's not the same. This joke doesn't work. Let me out of here!
Soviet American: Does not compute. Does not compute. Does not compute.
= = = = =
Update next day: Well, nothing changed. Those strange and incomprehensible "different" "policies" and "different" "opinions", impossible for an American to fathom, turn out to be just as meaningless in Israel as they are here.
Futility is the nemesis of democracies.
Labels: STRONG!
¶ 12:54 PM
