From: Ramez Naam (mez@apexnano.com)
Date: Sat Jun 07 2003 - 11:48:49 MDT
From: Dehede011@aol.com [mailto:Dehede011@aol.com]
> MEZ states that he is middle eastern unless I made a
> mistake. He is representing the middle eastern point of
> view. It is not groundless and personal to assume he has
> the same motives as an American in the same position.
>
> [ snip ... ]
>
> what is going on in the middle east and consequently what
> danger MEZ family & friends are in. Should the US succeed
> in assisting Iraq lift itself up then MEZ' family &
> friends are likely to be unable to hold their
> own population down any further. People hanging by the
> neck from lamp poles comes to mind.
It pains me to have to respond to one of Ron's posts, but I feel the
need to set the record straight, at least for the benefit of the other
people reading this thread.
1) I'm an american. I've lived here since the age of 3. My
allegiance is first to all sentient life, second to humanity, and
third to the US.
When I look at the place I was born (egypt) it's primarily with a
sense of sadness. As John Clark writes, the arabs have themselves to
blame more than anyone else for their current situation.
2) I'm not representing a middle eastern point of view. I'm providing
the viewpoint of an american who has first hand experience with the
middle east.
3) My relatives in egypt are members of an oppressed and discriminated
against minority (egyptian christians). They are the oppressed rather
than the oppressors. From an early age I was taught that Islam is an
evil religion. In many ways I hold my current opinions /despite/ my
upbringing, rather than because of it.
4) To the extent that I care about the welfare of my relatives in
Egypt, I would like to see Egypt become more like the US. I'd like to
see it become a democracy rather than a dictatorship. I'd like to see
it become a modern capitalist society rather than a mostly statist
one.
Indeed, my whole point in this thread has been that the US system
(democracy and capitalism) IS SUPERIOR to the predominant arab system
(corrupt totalitarian government and state economy) and that the
western memes will win out and transform the region if the US takes
action to encourage them.
Somehow Ron has misconstrued my comments into some attack on the US or
defense of the middle eastern status quo, which he has grotesquely
attributed to my having something to gain from the oppression of the
middle eastern masses. I hope this post has set the record straight.
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