The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Megathread

[garbon]

[Berkut]

Meh.

ISIS has been doing horrible things from the start - what is one more horrible thing?

Either the people who aligned with them turn on them, or more horrible things will keep happening.

It is just a matter of time - they don't seem capable of not believing their own mythology.

[Tamas]

Meh.

ISIS has been doing horrible things from the start - what is one more horrible thing?

Either the people who aligned with them turn on them, or more horrible things will keep happening.

It is just a matter of time - they don't seem capable of not believing their own mythology.

The world could totally use some Jewish airstrikes against ISIS, to raise this issue into prime news time.

[DGuller]

I eagerly await all those totally not anti-semites and totally pro-humanists to march all around Europe to protest ISIS on this.

I don't think anti-Israeli sentiment is about anti-Semitism.  I think it's about two things:  the inability of people who lived in peace their whole life to comprehend that war is a nasty business, and the bigotry of low expectations.  Israel is a western state, so it's expected to act in a civilized manner, whereas you can't really expect anything other than brutal violence from the Arabs.

You would have a point if it wasn't totally about anti-Semitism. I have yet to encounter somebody who was anti-Israel in these matters and didn't have funny ideas about the role of Jews in the world.

I have.

[Valmy]

I have.

Europeans?  I know some Americans have crazy anti-Israeli thoughts like 'maybe continuing to give these dudes a half billion a year is not entirely in our interests' sometimes.

[derspiess]

The world could totally use some Jewish airstrikes against ISIS, to raise this issue into prime news time.

Suddenly ISIS would become sympathetic victims if that happened.

[Valmy]

The world could totally use some Jewish airstrikes against ISIS, to raise this issue into prime news time.

Suddenly ISIS would become sympathetic victims if that happened.

I can see it now: ISIS storming into Jordan and the West Bank massacring every man woman and child.  Israel gets nervous when they get too close to their settlers and bombs them.  The next day thousands in Europe protest Israeli genocide.

[Viking]

I eagerly await all those totally not anti-semites and totally pro-humanists to march all around Europe to protest ISIS on this.

I don't think anti-Israeli sentiment is about anti-Semitism.  I think it's about two things:  the inability of people who lived in peace their whole life to comprehend that war is a nasty business, and the bigotry of low expectations.  Israel is a western state, so it's expected to act in a civilized manner, whereas you can't really expect anything other than brutal violence from the Arabs.

It is about your identity. Israel is a place holder or a vicarious target for something else in your life that annoys or bothers you. Where you stand of capitalism, free markets, redistribution and environmental issues is determinative of if you are anti-israel or pro-israel. I think it is obvious that it is not a split between pro-pals and pro-j00s, it is anti and pro israel. Note this is probably why the debate gets tricky for the pro-israel side since they find themselves having to justify or explain the real hard choices that need to be made while the anti-israel side merely attacks whatever hard choices Israel does make.

Alan Dershowitz's schtick about keeping Israel a bi-partisan issue is getting harder to maintain because it really isn't about israel, it's about the israel hater. This is why nobody gives a shit when arabs are massacred in greater numbers AT THE SAME TIME in Syria and Iraq today. On the 22nd alone (I think) more people died in syria from combat than have died in total in teh gaza war so far.

For arabs and muslims it is about their identity and dignity as arabs and muslims. Their impotence in stopping Israel shames them. For Socialists and lefties attacking israel is affirming their own communal belonging and their own expression of their values.

It's not about what the facts are it is about who you are.

[derspiess]

It is about your identity. Israel is a place holder or a vicarious target for something else in your life that annoys or bothers you.

"In a way, each of us has an El Guapo to face. For some, shyness might be their El Guapo. For others, a lack of education might be their El Guapo. For us, El Guapo is a big, dangerous man who wants to kill us. But as sure as my name is Lucky Day, the people of Santa Poco can conquer their own personal El Guapo, who also happens to be *the actual* El Guapo!"

[Viking]

It is about your identity. Israel is a place holder or a vicarious target for something else in your life that annoys or bothers you.

"In a way, each of us has an El Guapo to face. For some, shyness might be their El Guapo. For others, a lack of education might be their El Guapo. For us, El Guapo is a big, dangerous man who wants to kill us. But as sure as my name is Lucky Day, the people of Santa Poco can conquer their own personal El Guapo, who also happens to be *the actual* El Guapo!"

http://mypersonaljihad.tumblr.com/

[garbon]

It is about your identity. Israel is a place holder or a vicarious target for something else in your life that annoys or bothers you.

"In a way, each of us has an El Guapo to face. For some, shyness might be their El Guapo. For others, a lack of education might be their El Guapo. For us, El Guapo is a big, dangerous man who wants to kill us. But as sure as my name is Lucky Day, the people of Santa Poco can conquer their own personal El Guapo, who also happens to be *the actual* El Guapo!"

http://mypersonaljihad.tumblr.com/

Aww, I like:

My sister told me that when she was little and saw white people in make up commercials and never black people, she thought it was just because white people were ugly and black people were beautiful and didn't need make up

[derspiess]

OMG MICROAGGRESSION

[DGuller]

I have.

Europeans?  I know some Americans have crazy anti-Israeli thoughts like 'maybe continuing to give these dudes a half billion a year is not entirely in our interests' sometimes.

Americans.

[mongers]

It's like these guys stepped out of internet forums and decided, lets organise and troll the West. 

This is merely their greatest troll so far, they've found a issue that none* in the west won't be reviled by and are now running with it.
I can only assume because the Ukraine shoot-down and Gaza have taken away their publicity oxygen.



* you fill in the blanks, presumably some in some immigrant communities.

[derspiess]

I don't think I know anyone who is anti-Israel.  I know some who probably are, but they're furriners.