I feel that blogs that want to be part of political debate aren't really so different from any other type of media these days - just like newspapers, some are read by virtually no one and aren't important at all whilst others are read by millions and can have an influence.
Michelle Malkin is a mega star for the American right, what she writes gets results - just look at this
BBC story on how she got Dunkin Donuts to pull an ad because the celebrity chef in the advert is wearing a keffiyeh, that Malkin sees as "the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad" and that is a "regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos". AK47s are a regular adornment of terrorists in beheading videos as well, but oddly she isn't campaigning against weapons sales - I guess even terrorists have the right to bear arms for Michelle, just not to wear scarves. So the guns keep flowing, but the donut buying public or America are saved from the possibility of being instantly turned into terrorists by the sartorial choices of a minor celeb. Well done. Good job. You must be very, very proud.
Malkin probably doesn't know that in the UK keffiyehs were always as, if not more, popular with the military as they were with lefty students. So they were originally worn by men who had fought terrorists from Aden to South Armagh. Fashion is a fickle thing but, I guess, a cheap point will always be a cheap point.
Dangerous, terrorist-appeasing, radical, lefties hang out in North African desert circa 1944. No one appears to be eating donuts.
12 comments:
Hi Toby,
I believe that you touched very superficially on the whole issue surrounding the wearing of the Keffiyeh.
The whole idea and promotion of "the scarf" has more to do (by those engineered it) with making a political statement of solidarity with the Palestinian cause...and its "resistence"...then something out of design and simple fashion.
The Swastika of old...as you know is an ancient symbol that is beheld by many to mean something other than German National Socialism, but in the West, it has come to mean only one thing.
The IslamOterrorists have only themselves to blame for their tradtional scarf headdress to become the standard bearer from Islamic terrorism.
It is irrelevant that Coalition troops have used the scarf while on duty in the sands of Iraq and elsewhere, because there, it carries no political significance.
Even Israelis have scarves that represent the different tribes of Israel, so I have little to say about that as well. But the political significance for Islam, for the terrorists within the PLO that want/crave Western solidarity with their genocidal movement, to see have and to see westerners walking around with various versions of their scarf....that is VERY POLITICAL...is something to be rejected...and thsoe who promote it...taken to task for their stupidity.
For the record, Malkin might have the bigger name, but it was Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs that first broke the story. Debbie Schlussel has also done her part in exposing the nonsense of the wearing of the scarf as well.
AK47's are not, fortunately, being worn as a status symbol for support of terrorist causes, the keffiyeh however is. Symbolism is everything in a propaganda war, and right now, seeing that "the scarf" has made serious inroads into western society, those who object to it, have every right to mount a counter-program against it.
I doubt seriously that the IslamOfascists ideological twin, (that old armed wing of the Democratic party) the KKK, would have equal success in marketing the "the hood", but then again..perhaps it would be a hit item in the Arab states.
You must be enjoying the summer Kenneth as I suspected you to respond to this much faster!
The problem you miss completely is that she wasn't wearing the scarf to promote terrorism; the only thing she was promoting was donuts. The response is so shrill it makes people like Malkin and co look frankly ridiculous - it's tilting at windmills and whether on a donkey or not, you're going to look foolish. All it will have done is make people who know nothing of Palestinian situation aware of it, and you'll probably end up with more scarf wearers than less. It's shooting yourself in the foot with that legally owned AK47 that the NRA wants you to have.
BTW you should be careful linking the KKK to the modern Democratic Party. As anyone with some basic history knows that a) after the late 60s, the Republicans became the party to use American racism to their electoral advantage, and b) the people you support as a 'non-fascist' anti-immigrant right in Europe like VB have much closer relations to fascism than the a Democratic party of today (just about to become led by a black guy) have to the KKK.
That's soo untrue Toby, come on.
The woman Rachael Ray was given that ugly thing to drape around her neck by the commercial editor responsible for the add. That the ugly thing did nothing to promote the product gives cause to wonder why the thing was even considered in the first place.
But anyways, the issue is what it has come to symbolize as opposed to what it actually meant in the past...the latter of which I have no qualms or arguements.
Yes the person was promoting doughnuts but the scarf itself represents a a movement repsonsible for hidious acts of terrorism....I'm glad that the add was pulled just like I would be if the person was sporting a swastika. In my opinion there is no difference.
There are more than enough "scarf wearers in Europe...because Europe is already a hopeless case. The Amercians however are not weraing them in droves...in spite of the elites sporting them as a symbol of anti-US present day politics etc.
Don't count on more Yanks wearing the terrorist scarf that its come to represent, because of Pamela Geller or anyother blogger, the support for the Palis will never be what it's like here in Europe.
Most Americans have difficulties sympathizing with genocidal religious fanatics and other assorted dictatirships etc. I think that the market for the terrorist scarf has run its course in the US of A, it's a good thing too.
The AK47 angle still doesn't belong in the debate...so I'll move on with that one.
Hey....when it comes to racism....at least the republicans moved and have dealt with it in a meaningful way....the Dems on the other hand need it much more than the Right wing, in fact...they bank on it more than ever.
The first Sec of State was a black Republican...and the first Sec of State being a black female was Republican as well. Republicans have kicked out the John Birch society but the Democrats have yet to kick out the anti-Semites in their own party, as well as the whores/leaches that need the scare monger of racism to keep the party relevent.
Hell, even Martin Luther King nefver considered the Dems as his party of choice,...he was a Republican...as was his father.
As for your labeling the VB with fascism, you would have to of course look at their party platform and back up your claim with actaul words that prove their party platform to be "fascist".
Most likely Toby, you are using the term "fascist" due to your dislike of the VB's low tolerance to Belgian's current immigration policies that see no problem in allowing Muslims from N.Africa to move in mass to Belgium, most notably ...to Brussels, as a means to keep the Socialists flux in votes for years to come.
SHOW ME ANYTHING IN THE VB'S PARTY PLATFORM THAT'S FASCIST.
It happens to be one of the most least obtrusive and free market oreintated platforms out there, with LESS TOLERANCE for government intrusions in the private affairs of Belgian citizens, which means LESS SOCIALISM.
Fascism means the exact opposite of that. Eh.....fascist indeed.
With all due respect, your comparisons are lacking, having nothing in common with what you are trying to prove.
When it comes to bigotry, no party, no race or ethnic group are blameless. When it comes to keeping the flames of bigotry alive, no party is more active in that endeavour than the Dems, who need the fears of racism as much as the Socialists in Belgium need the Muslim vote.
ONCE AGAIN, FIND THE PORTIONS THAT ARE FACSIST IN THE VB PARTY PLATFORM, OR KINDLY RETRACT YOUR WORDS.
And yes, I was busy...attending my son's graduation. :-)
You're creating straw men, I didn't call them fascists although it's tricky to think of an un-emotive word for a party that is interested in defending the cultural identity of an imagined ethnic group -"ethno-nationalist" perhaps. My point is there are many historical linkages between the Flanders nationalist tendency and fascism, just like historically the Democrats were the racist party of the American south. VB is actively courting Jewish votes now so I'm sure it isn't anti-semitic, but heh - so it the National Front in the UK on an anti-Islam basis, so that doesn't prove much. Has VB officially visited Israel yet? Or is the Israeli government still not having contact with them because they believe that "Vlaams Belang is a xenophobic party that opposes immigrants and expresses racism" (Haaretz Aug.2005)? You are perhaps preparing to leave as "Europe is already a hopeless case", but those of us without other places to go won't sit back and watch political parties that represent ethnic, exclusionary, nationalism pass without comment. We've seen those parties in past and know where they can go.
We've been round this bush before, so I'll leave you to have the last word, although I'd point out WRITING IN CAPITALS is considered shouting. :-)
Well Toby,
Hey, you are the one that brought up the VB and Fascism in the same breath, I find it amusing that you claim I'm building strawmen while you yourself provide the material. Nonetheless, your comparisons are still faulty.
The Dems under Wilson & Roosevelt set out to immulate Benito Mussilini in much of their social programs, remember, fascism has alot more to with motivating and using the general public & funds for state plans than just militarism.
So yes, the DEMS have much more in common with all forms of socialism than the Republicans, though the latter seem intent lately, on being as free with public funds as the former.
When you mention Belgians and fascism, you conveniently leave out the Walloons! Why is that? Have you not heard of Flemish nationalists who were also very much the defenders of Jews during WWII, as well as french wallonists that were pro-Hitler and anti-Jew?
What about the King of Belgium, King Leopold, who'd rather chum it up with the Nazis, than head to Britain for fear of losing his crown. I would be willing to wager that that the overwhelming majority of Flems hated the Nazis, and were nationalist nonetheless due to their substandard treatment at the hands of the French and its Wallonist led governemnts and imposed King.
The only reason why Israel hasn't made official approaches to the VB is due not from any reservations about their sincerity, but to politics...pure and simple.
The EU already exhibits an anomosity towards the Jewish state, and Israel is not going to prick that wound even more by supporting the VB Flems who want to opt out of both Belgium and the EU.
That is why there is no open dialogue btween the two, at least so sayeth my sources that I trust implicity.
So you use the Haaretz to prove that the Israeli gov't deems the VB.. racist...in what sense? What does that Leftist rag offer as proof as to the VB's racism, other than their refusal to become a minority in their own country?
Please explain to me the wisdom of having two Moroccos or two Algerias in place of the native Flemish population in Brussels? Also, why should Europeans be forced to be approve of their own colonization when that policy has been long deemed as both faulty and racist?
If the VB supported policies like Hugo Chavez in Venezuela (now there's a modern day Fascist, funny the Left seem to over look that fact) then I would be warry of the VB, especially if they their words were not matched by their deeds.
One has to be understanding of the exact meaning of Fascism in its entirety, beofre using it, too many are too willing to use to mean just militarism or racsim. It's far much more than just that.
Also, I was indeed raising my voice,...but not shouting...how else is one to get the other to take more notice of what an inflection...other than to capitalize?
Cheers/Kenneth
I bought a keffiyeh this past winter, but because I like the pattern, wanted a warmer neck and it only cost 7 euro. I also doubt that political causes were much on the mind of the Turkish seller, who had red ones with skull and crossbone patterns, and pink ones with Hello Kitty stitching... But then again I also think Michelle Malkin is about as authoritative a voice on international politics as David Blaine, so perhaps I'm really a terrorist sympathizer and just don't know it yet.
Actually, amend that... I'd be much more interested to hear what David Blaine thinks about international politics than Michelle Malkin.
Again another highly superficial statement, this time from Quizbo.
The refusal to touch the meat of the argument is very telling. Perhaps the reluctance shows the fear of having to conceed the point.
It could also be just be a sign of how uninteresting I find your point. "One man's meat..." well, you know how the rest goes ; )
Most likely your interest level mirrors your understanding of the issue itself. *L*
So kgs, anyone who doesn't agree with you does not understand the issue. You must be very lonely. *L*
That's not the issue and you very well know it.
The issue is whether or not the keffiyeh has morphed from being just a cultural scarf into a political symbol, and that by wearing it, knowingly or not, you are giving symbolic support to terrorists.
The Palestinians themselves seem to think so.
kgs, I wasn't posting about the keffiyeh. I'm aware of the previous postings in this thread.
I find your postings entertaining. I admire your drive to stick to your views no matter how short your list of sympathizers grows on this blog or your own. It's all very twenty something. Cheers for that, you made the day of a thirty something. *L*
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