<nettime> Baghdad Blogger

[Are Flagan <areflagan@transcodex.net>]

Following the fame of Salam Pax, whose flesh and blood finally satisfied
the cyber doubters, Baghdad has a new blogger, Zainab. She was persuaded
by SP to try posting her writing on the Internet and this Friday saw her
aptly titled First Post. Unlike Salam Pax's "Where is Raed?," the comment
space was left on for her blog, and in a matter of a single day, some 290
comments were offered on her inaugural 354 words. It's almost Slashdot on
MS...

Her post reflects many of the sentiments one may expect from someone in an
occupied country suffering Death-Valley-in-summer type heat without much
water and electricity. The submitted comments are an equally telling
story. Many US signatures remind Zainab that she is a) ungrateful b) lacy
c) inclined to eat only from silver platters, and d) that it took the US
200 years to get to where it is today so "you're in it for the long haul."
(This presumably also applies to the ongoing process of reconstituting a
WMD program so they can be found.) Never mind that *Iraq* may not be
aiming for the full star spangled carbon copy here.

Add a preachy and patronizing tone to the topic shortlist above and you
pretty much have on side of the dialog dialed. Some comments, however, go
straight for the abusive edge that was sharpened in the early days of
Indymedia; the compulsory lapse into retarded right-wing demagogy. Below
is one example, where the tone almost immediately reaches the pitch of
prejudiced name calling. If you delete the actually vocabulary and
concentrate on the content, though, you are basically left with Ari
Fleischer on a good day. Particularly attractive is the decision to
violently cut Zainab's post into pieces, to dissect it and then attack
each segment without coherence, and, of course, the inevitable equation of
freedom with money.

With taxpayer money already earmarked as venture capital, I guess
*liberation* then falls under mergers and acquisitions.

-af 

+ + + + +

   
The blog:

http://www.realwomenonline.com/article.php

Comment:

first post from 'hand that feeds you'

Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, June 27 2003 @ 11:38 AM EDT

Zainab said, "I know that one day there will be agreat revolution against
the Americans and now we have the first seeds of that revolution."

This tells me you and a lot of others are terribly misinformed. You will
learn, hopefully, that we are there 100% to help you. There are a lot of
sick people that will try to convince you that the Americans are evil.
Like that idiot that was trying to scare you about radiation. (Most of the
looted (by your own people) radioactive trash, was recovered.  The tank
shell story is total lie. You need to figure this out quickly. We will
only be shot, stoned, and grenaded, when we are trying to help you, so
many times before we may have a negative change of attitude toward people
such as yourself. That should be something even the most ignorant can
figure out.

Zainab said, "many Iraqi soldiers have demonstrated on june 18th in front
of ORHA(the republican palace) claiming their rights of either having
salaries or retired"

They have 'no' rights to salaries or retirement at this time.  How do YOU
know that some of them weren't rapeing and pillaging your neighbors the
day before we came in? They have the 'right' to 'die' if they throw rocks,
grenades, or shoot at our troops. They will have much better luck if they
use peaceful discussion with the proper officials.

Zainab said, "Though this incident had been proceeded by many others ,
nevertheless, it is the first time like having a really organized activity
, they where absolutely agitated or furious against the Americans ."

Why don't you try to organize these people into doing something
productive....like giving us a hand instead of working against us.  How
about watching our troop's back while they are doing all of your dirty
work. It's real easy for people that have nothing to keep them busy, to
become whiners.

Zainab said, "A convoy was trying to get inside ,one of the Americans got
panic and started shooting at the masses ,two Iraqis got killed others
wounded , terrible scarey scene ."

See what happens when you act stupid? Americans didn't 'panic', they're
going to shoot anyone that threatens them or shoots at them. You need to
spread the word, because your x-'elite guard' isn't smart enough to figure
that out.

Zainab said, "You have two sides each is inflicting the other great losses
and its only the beginning ."

Your people need to wake up!  WE ARE THERE TO HELP THEM! I promise you, if
these monkeys keep attacking our troops, we can inflict losses on you far
greater than you evidently can comprehend. The ignorant monkeys are
sabotaging their own country. (if they are even from Iraq)

Zainab said, "Did you know that at the beginning of the invasion everybody
said itıs a bless getting rid of Saddam Hussien but it turns to be an ever
lasting curse,"

Your ignorance flows from your mouth like innocent lives through Saddam's
hands.  If you had any comprehension of reality, you would be ashamed of
what you just said.

Zainab said, "haw could they just go leaving the biggest oil reservoir in
the region, they have planned to stay, accept it or not ,"

You are actually a brainwashed fool. We are spending an unbelieveable
amount of money and lives to try and get your country up to speed,FOR YOU,
but a bunch of 'monkeys' keep blowing up the stuff we fix and trying to
kill the people trying to fix it. Then we have to listen to you bad mouth
us at the same time.

Zainab said, "the staunting thing is what the people want naw (the return
of Saddam the tyrant)!!! . When you think thoroughly about it you find it
logical & reasonable "

I mean this in the nicest way............you are an ignorant *censored*
and someone should unplug your computer. It's fools such as yourself that
make Americans wonder why we bother. We have family over there dying to
help improve your miserable, whiny life.

Zainab said, "during the past regime there were safety &work
chances(money)"

Yeah, 'chances' to make a whole $20 a month.  I'll bet you could afford to
eat the finest dirt making that kind of money.  What could you do with
$2000 a month?  That's probably what the below average American makes.
That's what freedom can do for you. You say there was safety?????  You
better tell that to the hundreds of thousands of your people that were
tortured and killed by your 'wonderful' Sodom and his two inbred sons.

Zianab said, "BUT, THERE IS NO FREEDOM,"

Oh, so their wasn't alot of things to do with that $20.

Zainab said, "naw there is freedom without safety"

We aren't the ones threatening your safety.  Get off your butts and help
us round up the ones that are. The troops are the ones with no safety.

Zainab said, "or public services with very very mini work opportunities ,"

Listen to what you are saying!  Get out there and help us get the services
going again!  There is more work opportunities than you can
imagine.....for someone that wants to work.

Zainab said, "so normally they prefer the past time of saddam. They just
want to live their life thatıs all,"

If you're just happy eating dirt and immitating sheep ...we can
accommodate you.

Zainab said, "they even start wishing if they were born in very poor
country which doesnıt draw anybodyıs attention."

Wish in one hand, poop in the other. See which one fills up first. I am
really sorry you're getting so much attention.

Zainab said, "Naw we keep hearing news about incidents of Americans being
missing or killed in different parts of Baghdad or other provinces ,also
the Iraqi popular resistance movement have called other liberation
movements abroad to come and work together for Iraqıs liberation , sparks
,sparks, of big fire , why all that should happen ?"

Well, if we were gettin a little help from people like you, we might be
able to stop this fiasco.

Zainab said, "All you have to do is forming a decent real government! Is
that hard to be done ?"

Oh! Is that all?  Just snap our fingers and form a decent govt and then
just leave.  Everything would be just fine. You live in a incoherent
fantasy world.

Zainab said, "or is it been postponed for some hidden reasons which we
cant realized naw but maybe later on we can, only God knows."

No, even we know.  One day, (jeez, sometimes I wonder), you will realize
what a major accomplishment and humanitarian effort we have taken on just
for ungrateful sheep, that were so happy being slaughtered and eating
dirt, such as yourself.







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