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World Media
World views and cultural perspectives
By: David K. Every
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2003-04-11
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 hen a world event happens, I often like to go searching the world's media, just to see how others perceive things. The day of interest was when the Statue of Saddam was pulled down in the center of Baghdad, and the day before and after to make sure they didn't just miss deadline.
Of course Americans were swept with cautiously optimistic patriotism; look what we did, we helped fell a major dictator and look at the people gleefully celebrate their new freedom. We gave our lives and money, against the "greater wisdom" of Europe, and helped liberate many. There's still a lot of work to be done, and many questions to be answered; but at least now the Iraqi's stand a chance.
Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld offered a great speech that summed things up. He was pointing out that we did what we said we would. He didn't much care if Saddam was dead or alive; his regime had fallen which was our goal all along. When asked about misinformation in foreign press, he pointed out that there are always those that will twist the truth for their own gain or biased interests, but somehow the truth gets through and many will slowly understand. There's still more work to do; even if the outcome looks positive.
Of course America had their spins too. Mostly our press is left leaning and so doesn't like the current administration or anything it does; so has been somewhat against this war (in spins), or reluctant patriots. But we have positive outlets and some counter-balance.
I cracked up when one outlet compared which News Anchor was the most glum as Saddam's statue fell. To give you contrast, Fox News described it as a joyous event where an elated crowd dancing in the streets. Peter Jennings won the award of glumness, by describing it as, "a small crowd", but Peter Arnett and others got runner up prizes with comments like "that was the easy part, now the hard part begins". Mainly, it was a sad day for all the doom and gloomers, who'd been proven wrong. Of course they are glum; all their worst-case scenarios were shown as the chicken little'isms that they were. They were proven wrong when the oil fields weren't burned, that Iraq didn't fight to the last man, that the whole Arab world has not joined together against us, that there was no WWIII, that casualty numbers on Iraqi's side were 1:100th what they'd predicted, and on American side it was 1:1000th. And so on. They proved that they were ignorant and misinformed; so now they change the goals; anything to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, so that hopefully they can revise the truth and say, "I told you so".
Even the L.A. Times and N.Y. Times, which have been running as many negative and anti-Administration articles as is possible (without losing what remains of their credibility), had to admit that things were going well, and that maybe the Administration wasn't completely wrong; and that the doom and gloom may have been over stated. I was bemused when during one successful day of the war, Fox News showed the New York Times, which had the entire front page, covered in negative headlines and spun articles, and asked if they were reporting on the same war as they were. Yet our worst biased individuals and groups; who've repeatedly proven themselves clueless, seem moderate compared to some foreign countries press.
     
I went to French Newspapers, and started snooping through what they had to say. I read about a half dozen papers, mostly Parisian ones. Actually, I'd been doing this for weeks. It was amazing to me. Our papers had spin, Frances looked like works of fiction for me. I used to chuckle about Pravda and the gymnastics the state news agency would put truth through; but they had nothing on the French. Summarized, and only slightly overstated, here's what a couple papers were going on about.
One of the top stories was about some Americans shot an Iarqi woman in a car without warning or provocation, and basically about our hot-tempered cowboy attitudes and international immaturity was reflected in acts like that. Fortunately the Brits cool heads were helping the situation and our military was trying to learn from them; implications that maybe this was why things weren't going quite as bad as they'd predicted. It was basically a cultural stereotype converted into a fictional account of an event that I couldn't even verify from any other source.
Another story was about how France and the UK were working together for a more active role for France and the UN in the rebuilding; but the bitter and immature Americans were trying to block that for money. The article seemed to not be able to fathom why would do such a thing to an ally; just more proof that Bush and Americans were out to get them. There was information on Powell and how he stated that since we did the work, we should get the reward; but spun to sound as bitter as possible. They ignored all the problems the U.N. delays had caused in Afghanistan, or that we might be sore from just getting screwed over in the U.N. by the French, and so might not be eager to repeat it. Also there was some stuff about aid, and how much Iraq was going to need to clean up Americans mess; as if the mess had little to do with Saddam or France.
Of course there were a few other articles, talking about all the open issues of the war. Stating that we hadn't found weapons of destruction and there wasn't a hint of such things; another way the Americans were failing. They ignored that we said all along that we were going to finish the war first, then look for these weapons. They were going on about how since we hadn't found these weapons yet, that the only chance for success was if we brought in the U.N. in, and had them (France especially) help us. Ignoring of course that France was saying there were no WMD's in the first place, and so if anyone finds them, it proves that France was wrong all along; and that there might be a negative incentive for them to work for us, and big incentives (their ego) to work against us. Do they understand why we might not trust them? That was never reflected on.
There was another story about how if the U.S. fails to kill or capture Saddam, then they've failed in the entire war; just like with Afghanistan and Al Queda (Bin Laden). Lots of stories about how Saddam's opposition is leery of us, and how the Arabs hated us, and all the reasons why, except the real ones. All justified of course. No mention of the successes of such events and what they have achieved, or the radically weakening of those individuals or terrorism, just ways of looking for a dark cloud in every silver lining. How could we do something right, we're America?
Oh, yeah, and how the Statue fell in Baghdad, but how the ugly Americans put up our flag tainted the whole event; and how all the Arabs felt that this meant that Iraq was going to be permanently stained with the red, white and blue godless Americans. Ignoring of course that the guy put up an Iraqi flag almost instantly, and the people of Iraq didn't care; they were just happy and thankful that we freed them.
Again, this loose summary of what they were saying (based on tone and content). But there was lots more, and in the end there was an Anti-US spin that borders on Frances very thinly veiled anti-Semitism or attitudes towards North Africans; both are somewhat vile to American sensibilities and disgustingly racist by our standards. There were no pictures of Iraqi's giving Americans flowers or kisses, or any of the positives. I couldn't find a single positive story, or stories that didn't have anti-American or Pro-France spins, that wouldn't pass the standards or our worst tabloids.
  
After sitting there, shaking my head, amazed at the French's ability to delude themselves, and see things through the most immature ethnocentric egomaniacal eyes possible, while calling everyone else names, I started reading through some of the Arab outlets. Unfortunately, the translator I was using the previous weeks became a pay service (and I'm cheap), so I had to go on mostly second hand reports or others translations; still I believe I got the basic feel.
The first part is almost funny. They were all amazed, amazed I tell you, that the Iraqi misinformation minister was spinning things and selling them a pack of lies. You mean we really were in Baghdad? You mean Saddam really was a not-so-nice guy? Many are stunned and saying that they haven't gotten the full story yet. (Probably some conspiracy theory where the Zionist Crusading Imperialist Christians paid a bunch of Iraqi's to stage the event). I say almost funny because ignorance like that is more scary than just funny.
There was also anger that the Iraqi's didn't fight harder and kill more Americans. They couldn't have fallen that fast; that wasn't what Al-Jazeera or their own governments were telling them. Last they'd heard, they were winning. How could they give up so quickly? Didn't they realize that the ultimate goal was not what was important to the Iraqi's, but that they give up their lives to the last man, fighting for a corrupt regime?
Arab (and French) outlets loved to focus on the deaths and violence of war; but only that it is all Americas fault. There's no balance and contrast as to how many would have died in a year under Saddam anyways. No questions about collateral damage versus what would have been lost under Saddam. There's no admission that we were making a serious effort to avoid such damage, and that Saddam's forces have been actively putting people in danger, or their methods. They nearly ignore the humanitarian aid, medical aid, or good we're doing. Instead they focused on the one-sided anti-U.S. spins of war, and a foreign invader taking over poor innocent Arab (Muslim) regimes and stepping on holy soil.
Imagine that; an Arab that lied to fellow Arabs and Muslims, and the Americans were telling them the truth all along? Of course they distrust Americans, and feel that we are responsible for everything bad that happens in Iraq (and the rest of the world). Most of their regimes play into public ignorance and misinformation, to distract from their flaws. Arab culture doesn't like to question itself; so it must be some external cause, and we are big and powerful, so it must be us. For now they're reserving their right to bad mouth us every time an Iraqi gets hurt jaywalking; already playing up the looting and blaming us for not stopping it (even when the fighting isn't yet finished). It's all our fault, because it couldn't be theirs or have anything to do with them. They almost make the French seem humble and introspective.
   
Let's face it; it is easier for insecure egomaniacs to challenge others, than to actually consider that they might have been wrong. And why are you insecure and egomaniacal? Because you're insecure, and so you won't get introspective, and instead look at others to blame in order to avoid looking at yourselves. Thus they avoid seeing what is, and learning and growing. Which makes them wrong more often, which makes them more insecure. Which makes them try to overcompensate with ego or ethno centricity. And it becomes a negative feedback loop, getting worse and worse, until they are willing to change.
I think in individuals, it is destructive. When it becomes the cultural norm; I think that's what causes them to fall or extinct themselves. It is this puffy arrogance that prevents them from growth, or making destructive policies to try to avoid growth; and so others leave them behind. Their smartest people then leave or stay quiet and their dumbest get louder. Since they refuse to learn, they can't keep up. And viola; Darwin applied to cultures.
That describes France to me. 100 years of trying to keep up; but being unwilling to consider change and what's going on around them, and trying to impede that growth with laws that try to outlaw Americanisms to keep the language stale and pure, or by trying to get more attention and control in the U.N. which just makes them an obstacle to be gone around to get things done, and so on. Thus they are speeding their descent into irrelevance while blaming us for it.
That's why I think Arab culture and French culture get along; they understand each other. Arab culture is just a few hundred years ahead of France on the downward spiral. Sad really, there is a lot of good in those cultures, or was. But they get that puffy egomaniacal attitude that refuses to consider what's actually happening, or admitting their own mistakes. (They don't believe in introspection).
Many Arabs are bitter and blaming the U.S. because we are powerful, or because they haven't won a war in 1,000 years. (The French are the same, but for the last 100 years). They are so bitter that they want to win against the U.S. more than they want to win freedom or prosperity for their own. Instead of learning what it takes to accomplish things and actually win, they get more fanatical and self delusional, thus guaranteeing that they can't win in the future.
All countries have this. You see currents of this in many South American, African or Asian cultures; not to mention many European ones. This is also my biggest fear with America; already I can see the undercurrent of that same arrogance and self delusion. But I still see these other countries occasionally willing to admit mistakes, or at least consider that they might have made one; at least at an individual level if not at the cultural or national ones. I just don't get that out of France or Arab culture, at all. The more right they pretend to be, the more wrong they prove they are.
Hopefully, all the cultures can pull out of their downward spiral. But it will take a major change. They first have to admit that they make mistakes while they are making them. For now, they see our willingness to admit our own mistakes, or question ourselves, as an insult to our honor and weakness; but really it is our strength. It's what has let us grow and surpass them both. But they need to relearn some humility of their own, instead of trying to teach us some. They need to stop trying to cover up every major screw up of theirs, and instead learn from them. And they need to not ignore the successes of others, and try to spin them as losses (or victories of their own); and instead learn from them. Unless they stop acting like toddlers, then in my mind they are doomed.
 
As Rumsfeld said; Americans are happy and well off and we don't want to live or rule Iraq, we just want to come home and live in peace. We are reluctant warriors. We didn't do it for oil; even simpletons that look at the last 100 years of history could see that America doesn't go to war for wealth (they could see that if they wanted to); we will do it for security. But 9/11 woke us up, and let us know that we aren't safe from the uninformed hate filled and misinformed fanatics of the world. So rather than hating them; we tried to do for them, what they couldn't or wouldn't do for themselves. Hopefully this seed of freedom will spread, and make the world a better place.
There is still a tone from the losers that "While the Americans may have won militarily, they have lost politically". Ignoring that we did win.
There is still a fear that others hatred for our actions, or inaction, or wrong actions, or whatever, will make more Bin Laden or other fanatics. So what? The problem is not our actions, but theirs. They won't look at the real problems, so they can never fix them. At least in a direct war like Iraq, we have to kill them in their country, instead of having to wait until they come to ours. That's still a win. The world of terrorism is weaker now that one less nation is supporting it, and those that were propagating it, will be exposed. The French, or wannabe's can deny there were ever any ties; that's their problem. We know we did something.
The problem with some cultures is that they focus on their pasts, instead of the present or the future; because they were so much more in the past than they are now. However, if they only look at the past then they can't learn and grow or even plan for the future; so they fall further behind, while getting more focused on lost glory of yesteryear. Their denials of our successes just prove this to me. We helped free a country and a people; for a while anyways. It would have been 20 more years of Saddam and the same if we'd waiting for the U.N. to grow a set of balls, or France to grow a set of brains. We did something they wouldn't, and now they resent us for it. That's their problem, not ours.
Sure we haven't stopped anything that may still happen. There's a chance that Iraq will spiral down and collapse again in a few years. There are serious issues when you have generations of uneducated people trying to self govern. And there are such opposed and rabid extreme beliefs within Iraq that they could easily fall to another despot or to rebellions and their own frustrations. Bigger issues for Iraq is that their whole economy only has 20-50 years of oil before they have to ride without the training wheels. If they can't develop many competitive industries and skills that can compete in the world, then they have just delayed the inevitable collapse back down. Something I'm sure that they, and others will blame us for. It isn't going to be easy and a positive outcome is not guaranteed. But none of that matters; we did something. We tried.
Iraq needs to let their hatreds go; and focus not on the past, but on the future. Let's hope that Iraqis are more open minded than the other Arabs or French have been recently; hopefully seeing the alternative of late has been a big wake up call for them. I think they can. Or maybe Iraqis can't succeed, and all we did is buy ourselves 20-50 years of a slightly safer world. Who knows? At least we tried. We did for some Arabs, what the rest of the Arab world wouldn't. We did for them, what their French, German, Chinese and Russian allies never would have. We gave Iraqi's a chance, not a guarantee. Let's hope they take it and run with it.
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